Star Wars: The Force Unleashed III
by mugatu
Summary: The final chapter of the Force Unleashed trilogy begins! Horrific visions of the future threaten to plunge Starkiller into the abyss. With the life of Juno Eclipse hanging in the balance, he begins a galaxy-wide hunt for the Chosen One, who sought the secret of eternal life. But there is another clone - the Dark Apprentice, who may prove a more sinister enemy than Vader himself.
1. Chapter 1: Dantooine

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Star Wars. This is merely a fanfiction.

Author's Note: Okay, now that that's out of the way, I recently played through both Force Unleashed games and a couple ideas popped into my head for the plot of the third game. This story is those ideas put down. I hope I will be able to satisfactorily end Starkiller's story. And so, I present the final entry into the epic tale of Starkiller.

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_A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away..._

STAR WARS

THE FORCE UNLEASHED III

_A glimmer of hope spreads across the galaxy. DARTH VADER, the Imperial Dark Lord, has been captured by Rebel agents and held prisoner on the planet Dantooine._

_As the clone of GALEN MAREK, a.k.a. Starkiller, struggles to reconcile his origins, he has become a valuable agent to the fledgling REBEL ALLIANCE. He finally begins his formal instruction as a Jedi Knight under GENERAL RAHM KOTA._

_Little do the Jedi know that Imperial forces have conspired against them. Darth Vader's master plan to convert the wayward clone to the Dark Side is on the verge of fruition. Once completed, it will usher in a new era of darkness that the galaxy has never seen before ..._

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A small Firespray ship cut through the darkness of space, leaving a trail of flak in its wake. Onboard, a small comm unit began beeping. Boba Fett sighed as he pressed the accept button. His contact was calling.

A small hologram sprang up before the bounty hunter's face. It was a man shrouded in black; his face hidden behind a black scarf. A hooded cloak further concealed his identity. The figure folded his arms. "Bounty hunter. Status report."

Fett leaned back in his chair. "I've followed those wayward Jedi all the way from Kamino. They've taken Lord Vader to Dantooine."

"Ah, the old Jedi outpost. This will be more fun than I initially thought."

Fett snorted. "I could retrieve Lord Vader myself. Easily. For a fee, of course."

The Man in Black waved him away. "Not necessary, bounty hunter. You will fall to that clone's skills."

"Feh. I've killed more than my fair share of Jedi."

"Not like this one. This one is ... _different_. And besides, this is all according to plan."

"Hey, I'm just trying to make your job easier."

"Nevertheless ... it is ... _necessary _... that I be the one to free Lord Vader."

"Doesn't make any difference to me as long as I get paid."

The Man in Black pressed a few buttons on a device strapped to his wrist. "I've already taken the liberty of depositing the credits into your account. Your services are no longer required. The Empire shall call upon you if they are required again."

"Fine by me. I've got a contract on Tatooine with a very angry Hutt anyway."

The Man in Black disappeared, as Boba Fett flipped the lightspeed switch. In the blink of an eye, _Slave One _was gone.

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The _Rogue Shadow_ cut through the atmosphere of the emerald planet of Dantooine. It's engines shifted as it alighted on the outdoor hangar of what was once a Jedi Academy. Several Rebel troops assembled as the hatch of the _Rogue Shadow _opened.

Starkiller took a deep breath as he exited, looking around. The planet had a ... serenity ... to it. A lightness in the stomach. For the first time since he awoke from that incubation tank on Kamino, he felt at peace.

"What a dump."

Starkiller looked behind him, eyebrow raised, as General Rahm Kota hobbled drunkenly down the ramp.

Starkiller smirked. "You've gotten into the Tarisian ale again, haven't you General?"

Kota held up his hip flask, waving his finger very close to Starkiller's eyes. "Now don't go lecturin' me, boy! An old man's allowed a few comforts. Besides, this planet's seen better days." He shrugged as he staggered toward the entrance to the Academy. "And worse."

"By the way, it wasn't the Tarisian ale he got into. It was Corellian. He's taken a liking to the spicy stuff." Juno Eclipse made her way down the ramp, followed by Proxy.

"Well this is a lovely place," the droid remarked. "A good place for me to continue my mission of trying to kill you, Master."

Starkiller smirk grew wider. "I see Kota hasn't taken the time to remove _that_ particular program."

Juno ran her hand across his shoulder. "Well, it'll keep you on your toes. Not that you'll need it with me around." She winked and followed Kota who had started yelling obscenities at a statue of a Jedi.

Behind them, several Rebel troops descended the ramp. The sound of mechanical breathing echoed through the atmosphere. The other Rebels watched in a mixture of awe and horror as several technicians wheeled Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith down the ship's ramp.

"Make sure those bindings are secure," one Rebel officer ordered. Starkiller tried to keep his eyes off his old master, but the mask was fixed directly on him. Vader's last words to him continued to ring through his ears.

"_As long as she lives, I will always control you."_

Starkiller turned away, trying to avoid looking at the Sith Lord. A young Rebel pilot sauntered over to the group. Wedge Antilles shook Starkiller's hand. "That was one heck of a performance. Never seen anything like it. You singlehandedly crippled the Empire's cloning operation and captured Vader. Anyone that can add even more wrinkles to ol' Emperor 'leatherface' deserves a medal in my book."

"Er ... thanks," Starkiller said, awkwardly shaking the pilot's hand.

The technicians nodded to each other. The Dark Lord was secure. Kota pointed a drunken finger at Vader. "How's about we put that General Grievous wannabe in the sublevels, eh? And keep an eye on 'im!"

Juno raised her eyebrow. "General who?"

"Nevermind. Just a droid-guy we Jedi fought in the Clone Wars. Vader kinda reminds me of him."

Vader turned his head away from Starkiller, cocking his helmet at Kota. Kota, meanwhile, clapped his hands at the technicians. "Well, c'mon! Chop, chop! The Council wants an update! Let's go!"

The technicians wheeled Vader away, deep into the sublevels of the former Jedi Academy.

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Rahm Kota, having sobered up, stood in a large, circular room as three holograms of Mon Mothma, Garm Bel Iblis and Bail Organa appeared.

Mothma was the first to speak. "Well done, General Kota. The capture of Lord Vader will certainly put the Emperor on his toes."

Kota nodded. "We will begin interrogating him immediately."

Bail shook his head. "I do not expect him to talk. Vader has a stronger will than we realize. I would not have him remain on Dantooine for too long."

"Indeed," Bel Iblis chimed in. "Vader cannot be left on any place for too long."

"What about his trial?" asked Kota. "Is he not stand justice for his crimes?"

"In good time," Mothma replied. "The completion of the Emperor's superweapon has put a ... _strain_ on our plans."

Starkiller, who was listening in the shadows with Juno, perked up. "Superweapon?" He held his hand to his eyes as visions ran through his head. Kissing Juno before falling back into oblivion. Facing Vader. The Emperor cackling as Force Lightning ran through him. An explosion. Light. Then nothing.

Juno noticed his struggle, and rubbed his shoulder. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Fine, just ... flashbacks. I still get them from time to time. Memories from ... from my original template."

Juno drew closer, her lips near his ear. "To me, there is no template. You are him, returned to me. You came back from the dead ... for me."

Starkiller put his hand on top of hers. He wanted to argue, tell her that the man she loved was gone. But she was so adamant that he was Galen Marek. Perhaps Kota was right ... a Jedi could not be cloned. He wished it were true, but in his heart of hearts, he knew that he was nothing more than a shadow of a dead man.

Kota continued arguing with the Council. "Vader has to stand trial for his crimes! Publicly! We have to show the galaxy that the Rebellion is strong enough to take on the Empire. Vader's death will rally more systems to our cause! And the Senate-."

Mon Mothma cut him off. "Things are worse than ever, and will only get worse with Vader's death. With the completion of the Empire's battle station, the Emperor will soon move to dissolve the Senate. The Imperial Moffs will be given direct control over their territories, and with this battle station backing them, not even Vader's death will be enough to sway public opinion."

"We need him alive," Organa said. "Long enough to find some weakness to this Death Star. A weakness that we can exploit."

Kota nodded, accepting their decision. "What will you have me do?"

Bel Iblis cleared his throat. "A detachment will be sent to pick up the Dark Lord and move him to a new location for interrogation."

"And as for me?"

At this, Bail actually smiled. "The Death Star is a symbol of Imperial might. The Rebellion needs its own symbol. In fact, the very same symbol of honor that kept the Old Republic together."

"We need the Jedi," Mon Mothma continued. "We need their symbol of hope on our side, to encourage dissenters to Imperial tyranny."

"There may be other Jedi out there," Bail said. "And we will keep an ear open for all of them. But so far, we have two with us. You. And the Jedi called Starkiller. With your consent, we would like you to continue to train Starkiller in the ways of the Jedi. Use this academy."

Kota bowed his head. "As you wish."

Bail smiled. "The Empire believes it extinguished the light of the Jedi. You two are a flickering, yet lively candle. Keep the light alive, General."

"I will indeed."

"May the Force be with you."

The images of the three Rebel leaders disappeared, and Kota turned to Starkiller. "You hear that, eh kid?"

Starkiller couldn't keep the grin off his face. "Does this mean you're going to start calling me Padawan instead of kid from now on?"

"Don't push it, kid. And I already have a training exercise in mind for you."

Starkiller frowned. "What is it?"

Kota began pacing. "There are some ruins not far from this enclave. Inside is an ancient Star Map. Find it."

Starkiller cocked his head. "That it?"

"Pretty much."

"Is there something you're not telling me?"

"Isn't there always?"

"General ..."

Kota threw his arms out in exasperation. "What do you want outta me, kid? You want me to throw an entire legion of stormtroopers at you? I suppose I could release Vader and have you try to recapture him for your first training exercise."

Starkiller rubbed his sinuses. "Okay, okay. I suppose I should be grateful. Find the ruins, find the Star Map. I'll begin immediately."

He secured his twin lightsabers on his hips. Juno squeezed his hand. "Good luck." She pecked him on the cheek.

"No such thing," Kota sang.

Starkiller looked at him, then headed towards the Academy's exit.

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An old estate on Dantooine lay in smoking ruins. Security droids and personnel lay on the grounds, battered, beaten, defeated. Flames chewed upon the mansion.

KABOOM!

The mansion's garage exploded as the Man in Black speed out of it on a stolen swoop bike. He programmed the coordinates. The old Jedi Academy.

Ten minutes and counting.

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Starkiller walked through the grassy fields of Dantooine, enjoying the warmth of the sun and howls of the iriaz in the distance. He could see the ruins about a mile off, and headed in that direction.

"Hello traveler!" The voice rang out through the darkness. A Rodian had set up a small sales stand full of grenades, blasters and vibroblades. The Rodian waved him over, but Starkiller shook his head. "I don't need any weapons." He pointed at his lightsabers.

The Rodian chuckled, speaking in his language. "Even a Jedi needs extra weapons. You cannot always rely on a lightsaber."

"I've gotten along with them pretty well."

"Even so ... perhaps you could convince some of the Rebels that have taken up residence to buy from me. The name is Adum Larp."

Starkiller wasn't impressed.

"So you heard the Rebels were here and decided to cash in on their need for weapons?"

"What? No, I've been here my whole life. My father, Adum Larp, set up this stand, as did my grandfather, Adum Larp."

"Wait. Everyone in your family is named Adum Larp?"

"Correct. We honor our ancestor, the original Adum Larp, who sold weapons to the ancient Jedi Revan, which gave him the edge he needed to save the galaxy."

The name sounded familiar to Starkiller. "Well ... that's very interesting, but I have a mission to accomplish and -."

"Then you should buy some of my weapons! The best Corellian heavy weapons this side of the Outer Rim! You may need them against the kath hounds."

"Kath hounds?"

"Fierce predators. They usually stay away from the farmers, but they have been known to attack those venturing out onto the plains by themselves."

"Like I said, I'll be fine."

"Very well. I wish you would venture out more protected, but so be it. Don't forget to tell your friends about Adum Larp's stand!"

Starkiller merely nodded, and headed out towards the ruins.

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The Man in Black hid in the shadows of the Jedi Academy/Rebel Base. He slid behind a column as two Rebel soldiers walked past. He slipped through the shadows, into the next room. Ah, a computer!

The Man in Black approached it, slicing into the terminal. He uploaded a datapad into it, and grinned as several Alliance targets and bases were downloaded. With a _pop_, he pulled the datapad free, securing it into his pocket.

He turned ...

And was met with the _snap-hiss _of a lightsaber as General Kota and several Rebel troops aimed their weapons at him.

"An Imperial spy," Kota commented. "Lock him up in the sublevels."

The Rebels grabbed him, and patted him down, looking for any weapons. None. They nodded, satisfied that he was unarmed.

"Keep a guard over him," Kota ordered. "There's something strange about him."

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Starkiller moved through a large, rocky area. It was quiet. Unsettlingly so.

There! A tremor in the Force!

A kath hound lunged at him from above. With blinding speed, Starkiller slew the beast with his twin blue lightsabers.

But as the one fell, five more took his place. They surrounded him, moving in for the kill. Starkiller grinned, as he spun his blades idly.

There was a pause, as the kath hounds and Starkiller waited to see who would make the first move.

Impatience got the better of one of the hounds. It lunged - Starkiller twisted out of the way, before summoning a rock to hurl at the beast, knocking it clean unconscious. Two kath hounds came at him from the right and left. Starkiller squatted, thrusting his lightsabers out to the sides, finishing the two off instantly.

The fifth beast was the largest of them all - a bull kath hound. It circled Starkiller, looking for an opening. Finally ...

It charged.

Starkiller was initially surprised at the toughness of this particular beast's hide as the blade of his lightsaber barely grazed it. The beast charged again - Starkiller flipped over it, and deactivated his weapons. As the creature made to charge once more, Starkiller gathered Force energy and released it in a devastating array of Force Lightning.

The bull kath hound turned and ran off to lick its wounds.

Satisfied, Starkiller turned and headed for the ruins. There was a path that led underground, but the door leading there was sealed. The Jedi clone examined it for a moment, before he saw a slot for a lightsaber. _What do I have to lose?_ he thought as he activated one of the blades and inserted the weapon into the slot. There was a moment's pause, and the door opened.

Starkiller felt an immediate chill as he entered the ruins. Behind him, the door resealed itself. No turning back now.

He moved through another set of doors - and there was what appeared to be an ancient droid. Next to him was a skeleton, clutching what appeared to be an ancient lightsaber. The droid whirred to life, and began speaking in an unknown dialect.

Starkiller cocked his head. "What?"

The droid began speaking another dialect.

"I ... can't understand you."

The droid paused, before it began speaking in the language of the Selkath. "I can reproduce any of the languages spoken by the slaves of the Builders."

"Now that I understood," replied Starkiller. "But who are these Builders?"

"The Builders are the masters of the galaxy, the conquerors of all worlds, the rulers of the Infinite Empire and the creators of the Star Forge."

Starkiller narrowed his eyes. Those words sounded familiar to him. More memories flashed in his mind ... memories from Galen Marek. During Marek's training, Darth Vader had told him about the history of the greatest Sith Lords. Marek had learned all about the Star Forge, and about the Jedi Civil War. And the great traitor, the Dark Lord Revan who went groveling back to the Jedi after nearly dominating the galaxy.

"The Star Forge was ... destroyed. Nearly four thousand years ago," Starkiller said.

The droid's circuits whirred. Starkiller's news of the Star Forge's destruction didn't seem to register in the droid's memories. "The Star Forge is the glory of the Builders, the apex of their Infinite Empire. It is a machine of invincible might, a tool of unstoppable conquest."

"Not really. It was destroyed four thousand years ago."

"The ... the Star Forge is the glory of the Builders, the apex of their Infinite Empire. It is a machine of invincible might, a tool of unstoppable conquest."

"Hmm," Starkiller spoke to himself. "This droid must not have heard the news." He spoke up to the droid. "Tell me, is there a Star Map in these ruins?"

"Enter the proving grounds to the east and west."

Starkiller looked and saw doors on the left side and right side of the room.

The droid continued speaking. "Within them those who understand the will of the Builders can unlock their secrets and open the doors behind me."

Starkiller saw another door on the other side of the room. _That must be where the Star Map is located_, he thought.

He made sure his weapons were secured on his side, before entering the first door on the east. The door sealed behind him, effectively trapping him inside. There was the whirring of machinery, as another ancient droid whizzed to life.

The room was awash in laser fire, and Starkiller's lightsabers were out in a moment, deflecting the attacks. He charged, leaped high in the air, bringing his dual-swords down in one slash -.

- and was effectively thrown off balance by the droid's personal deflector shields. Starkiller scrabbled to his feet as a rocket came directly at him. He rolled out of the way hiding behind a column.

Crab-like feet scuttled the droid around the room, preparing for another rocket. Starkiller began to regret not buying an ion gun from Adum Larp. Spinning his blades, he deflected more laser fire, before gathering Force energy.

_ I've got to overload those shields_. He unleashed Force Lightning, which was absorbed directly into the droid's shielding. _Come on, come on_, he thought. Lightning poured continually, before the droid's shields turned blue and then vanished.

The Guardian Droid collapsed in a smoking heap.

Starkiller looked around and saw an ancient computer terminal. He pressed a button, and the terminal sprang to life. Odd letters scrambled across the screen. "Oh great, a language I can't understand. I'm going to kill Kota."

As soon as he spoke, a receptacle opened up. Figuring he might as well, Starkiller placed his datapad into it. The computer read through his pad, before reconfiguring its language to Galactic Basic.

Starkiller read what came up on the screen. It posed to him a question. "_Interrogative: Identify the three primary life-giving seed world types."_

Below were a series of answers: Oceanic, Grassland, Desert, Volcanic or Arboreal.

He scratched his head. "Guess my original template should've listened better to Vader during his training." Half-hazarding a guess, Starkiller put in Oceanic, Grassland and Desert.

The terminal beeped.

"What do you mean incorrect?"

Behind him, the Guardian Droid sprang to life. "Again?" Each time he got a wrong answer, he would have to fight this droid again.

The droid reacted instantly by spraying him with laser fire. Starkiller sighed, as he repeated the process, blasting the droid with Force Lightning, reducing it once again into a heap. He turned his attention back to the computer. "Let's try this again." His answers this time were Oceanic, Grassland and Arboreal. He looked behind him. This time the Guardian Droid stayed down. "Guess I got it correct."

Starkiller briskly walked past it, and headed to the proving ground on the west side. As he entered, he saw another Guardian Droid waiting for him.

Just great.

Starkiller, without wasting time, blasted it with Force Lightning, frying it into a heap. There was another computer, and he repeated the process. This time the computer's test asked for the death-giving seed-type worlds. Starkiller answered Desert and Volcanic.

Apparently, his answer was correct. As before, this Guardian Droid didn't come back to life.

Re-entering the initial room, he was pleased to see that the third door had been unsealed. He walked through.

In the back of the room, he could see what appeared to be a closed Star Map. He began walking towards it when he heard footsteps behind him. He whirled around to see a figure standing in the door of the room. As the figure stepped into the light, the doors sealed shut.

It was a Cathar. A female Cathar. "I will be your doom" she screeched as a red lightsaber sprang to life from her hands.

"I knew this was too easy," he sighed, and in a moment his twin blue sabers were ready. He took his casual battle-stance, the blades held in a reverse grip. The Cathar Jedi threw herself at him, and he crossed his lightsabers in front of him, deflecting her attack. He Force Pushed her against the wall.

The Cathar leapt to her feet, attacking in a graceful dance. Starkiller effortlessly parried with one blade, before swinging the other. She ducked, and Force Pushed him against a column. Starkiller hit his head and saw stars.

He looked up to see the red lightsaber flying towards his head. He dropped to his knees, the blade cutting through the column, as it returned to the Cathar's hand.

Starkiller sprung up into the air, landing hard, bringing both his blades to bear on his enemy. The Cathar staggered below the force of the blow, and Starkiller swept her feet out from under her. His opponent spun up onto her feet, and her eyes widened as she saw Starkiller in midair, preparing a Force Repulse attack.

She was blown clean across the room, and she hit her head on the stone wall with a sickening crack. She slid to the ground, and as Starkiller stood over her, her appearance changed.

She had transformed back into Starkiller's personal droid. "Proxy?" he asked.

Proxy rose to his feet, dusting himself off. "Hello, Master."

"What are you doing here?"

"Why Master Kota sent me here of course. He wanted me to ... oh what were his words. Keep the kid's mission from being too easy. Of course, my primary programming is still to kill you, and a droid never fails in his programming."

Starkiller rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, I've noticed. But I'm not familiar with that new program you used."

Proxy raised a finger. "Oh, Master Kota reprogrammed me with the data files of several Jedi who used to reside here on Dantooine. The one you fought was a war hero from during the Jedi Civil War. But ... allow me to try another."

"I'm really not in the mood, Proxy."

"Good. That will make my mission of killing you so much simpler, Master."

Before Starkiller could stop him, Proxy had transformed again into a beautiful young woman wielding a yellow saberstaff. "This one is called 'Program Bastila', Master."

"Bastila" spun her saberstaff, before leaping at Starkiller. She was quick and efficient with her double-sided weapon. And, despite being a Jedi Knight, she was quite proficient in the use of Dark Side powers.

Which Starkiller realized once he got a taste of Force Lightning. _Two can play at this game_, and he blasted Bastila with lightning of his own. Bastila deflected it, before edging her way into battle, hammering away at his defenses.

Their sabers locked, and Bastila began overpowering him. Starkiller deactivated one of his blades, before summoning a piece of rock to hurl at her. Bastila waved it away, and that was all the distraction he needed as he Force Repulsed her away.

Bastila recovered in an instant to see a lightsaber flying at her head. She used to the Force to knock it away, only to turn to see Starkiller flying at her with his other weapon, bringing it down upon her head.

The blow connected, and "Bastila" transformed back into Proxy. "Another excellent duel, Master. I was certain that this one would destroy you for sure. But oh well, this means that next time, I get to use 'Program Revan' on you."

"I can hardly wait," Starkiller commented. "Let's find this blasted Star Map and get out of here."

"As you wish, Master."

The two of them approached the closed Star Map, and it blossomed to life, showing four planets in particular: Tatooine, Kashyyk, Manaan, and Korriban.

"How wondrous" Proxy exclaimed.

"I can't believe I just went through all that for this. If Kota calls this training, I -."

Starkiller's eyes suddenly rolled into the back of his head, and he collapsed onto the floor. Proxy stood over him. "Master?"

Starkiller was having a vision. The Rebel base inside of the Jedi Academy ... burning. Vader freed. Stormtroopers. And a Dark Figure he couldn't see, yet was somehow familiar. And then he saw another vision.

It was a hospital. Surgical droids were standing over someone, but Starkiller couldn't make out who it was. He pushed his way past the droids to the operating table and saw -.

"JUNO!"

Starkiller jumped to his feet in a cold sweat, looking around frantically. "Oh, thank the stars," Proxy exclaimed. "I thought that you were malfunctioning master!"

Starkiller held his forehead in his hand. "I saw a vision. The future, I think. Something bad is going to happen - soon! We have to get to back to base!"

"Master?"

"And Juno! I think something is going to happen to Juno!" His hands gripped his lightsabers. "Not if I can help it," he snarled. And with that, he sprinted out of the ruins, Proxy frantically in tow.

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The Man in Black sat on a stool in a small cell in the sublevels of the Jedi Academy. A laser wall was used instead of bars and a Rebel troop stood guard over him. The Man in Black looked at a timing device on his wrist. Now.

Clearing his throat, he stood up. "Excuse me ... guard?"

The Rebel troop barely turned around. "Quiet."

"I need your help with something."

"Forget it, Imperial scum."

The Man in Black held out his arms. "It's just ... I think there's something wrong with my cell. It smells like there might be a gas leak."

"A gas leak?"

"If it goes off, this entire building goes up in flames."

The Rebel troop turned around and stood directly in front of the laser wall. "I don't smell anything."

The Man in Black waved his hand in front of his face. "You want to deactivate this cell."

"I want to deactivate this cell," the guard responded, as though mesmerized. He hit the switch, and the laser wall instantly vanished. The Man in Black exited.

"Why thank you kind sir," he said to the guard. "But you should not have let me out. You need to be punished for freeing a prisoner." He held out his hand, and the guard began chocking. With a wave of his thumb and index finger, the Man in Black used the Force to snap the guard's neck. "Apology accepted." He gathered his cape as he stepped over the corpse.

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Darth Vader stood in darkness, held captive in the Force suppressor. He looked up as the door opened, and the Man in Black entered. He bowed his head before the Dark Lord. "I have arrived right on time, my Master."

"Impressive," Vader replied. The Man in Black waved his hand, and the Force suppressor began sparking, before it shorted out. The front of it opened, and Darth Vader stepped out. A little worse for wear after Kamino, and with one hand missing. But he was still as imposing as ever.

The Man in Black kneeled before him. "What is thy bidding, my Master?"

"We put phase two of my plans into action," the Dark Lord thundered. "And for that, you will be needing these." Vader reached behind him with his remaining hand, and procured two lightsabers from behind his cape. He handed them to the Man in Black, who accepted them gratefully. "As well as this." Vader produced a small, odd-looking black vibroblade from within his boot, handing it to the kneeling man. "You may rise. We have work to do."

Vader made for the exit door, as the Man in Black stood up to follow him, eyeing his new weapons.


	2. Chapter 2: A Familiar Face

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars. This is merely a fan fiction.

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Rahm Kota stood in the center of a small dueling ring. He exhaled as his green lightsaber sprang to life. From the other side, a training droid entered, a yellow lightsaber hissing in its metallic grip.

Kota smiled.

While not as sophisticated as the Proxy-model, this droid was a skilled dueling unit all the same. It lunged for the aging Jedi Master.

Kota could not see the droid's attack. His duel with the original Starkiller had left him blinded. At first he had sunk into depression, drinking his days away at Bespin. But Galen Marek had given him his sight back in a new way.

Kota did not need his eyesight; in many ways, relying on the eyes limited a person. Kota had grown to rely on his other senses, such as hearing.

And so as the droid's weapon whirred towards him, Kota allowed his ears to guide his movement, deflecting the attack. The droid spun around in a full arc, reversing its grip. Kota parried, and countered, nicking the droid on the arm. Sparks sprang out from the exposed circuity.

The grin on Kota's face grew wider.

The training droid moved in from the opposite direction, and as it did, repulsor lifts built into its feet allowed it to glide into the air. Kota could no longer hear its footfalls.

But even hearing limited a person.

The Force was beyond the five senses. As the levitating droid moved in for the kill, Kota heard the Force echoing its movements. He slid under its defenses, bringing his lightsaber up between the droid's legs and upwards through its head. The droid separated into two halves, and collapsed in a sparking heap.

Kota slowly turned as the doors to the training room opened. "General Kota."

"What is it, Juno?"

"We ... have a situation, sir."

Mechanical breathing filled the room as Kota sensed a dark presence enter.

"Vader."

But how? He was restrained, the Force suppressors binding him.

The answer came with a second dark presence. The Man in Black, the spy they had captured earlier. But of course! He had wanted to be captured! Kota cursed himself for his oversight.

Kota angled his lightsaber up in a defensive stance. "I spent years trying to lure you out of hiding, Vader. And when you made your move, you sent a boy to face me. I've always regretted not having the opportunity to face you myself."

"A regret you will have to live with," Vader replied. He raised his hand, and Juno was lifted off the ground. Her hands went immediately to her throat as she gasped for air. "You will surrender yourself to me. Or have this woman's blood on your hands."

The Dark Lord tightened his grip.

Kota tossed his saber aside. "As you wish."

Vader dropped Juno to the ground as the Man in Black moved to secure him. Kota, meanwhile, only smiled. "Starkiller's on his way back here. He'll finish what he began on Kamino."

The Sith Lord used the Force to lift Kota off the ground. "I am counting on it, General Kota."

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As Starkiller and Proxy reached the outskirts of the Academy, they could already see a battle raging outside. Rebel troops fought against dozens of Imperial stormtroopers. Scout walkers were already on the move.

"Vader. He's free." He turned to the droid. "Proxy, get to the hangar. Get the _Rogue Shadow _primed."

"Yes, sir. And what about you?"

"I'm getting Juno."

Proxy turned and headed away from the main fighting. Starkiller ignited his twin blades, and jumped into the fray.

As he crossed a bridge over a small creek, the first stormtrooper never saw his dual-sabers coming - until the blades jutted through the front of his armor from behind. Starkiller tossed the trooper aside. The rest of the stormtroopers turned their attention away from the Rebels to face this newest threat.

Starkiller made short work of them.

He looked up to see a squad of Rebel troops holed up near the entrance to the academy sublevels. An AT-ST walker was headed right for them. Starkiller sprinted towards it, blasting it with Force Lightning.

The walker turned around to face the young Jedi.

Starkiller leaped out of the way as its cannons raged, before jumping up, blasting the walker with lightning from midair. He then Force Pushed himself backwards off of the walker's head, before landing and tossing both sabers. The weapons cut through the wiring of the walker's legs like butter, throwing it off balance.

Starkiller gathered more energy, before using the Force to lift the AT-ST into the air, and literally began tearing it apart at the molecular level. The Imperial pilots inside scrabbled out, and watched in horror as the walker was literally shredded in midair. They were quickly taken captive by the Rebels. Starkiller approached the Rebel leader, Wedge Antilles.

"How did the Empire find us so soon?" he asked.

Wedge shrugged. "I don't know. It was a surprise attack. A Star Destroyer appeared on our scopes out of nowhere and began dropping troops. That was only the first wave. We have to evacuate quickly."

"Where is Juno?"

"I'm not sure. Last I saw Captain Eclipse, she was scrabbling to get a defense coordinated."

Starkiller felt a pulse in the Force. "Vader has her." He turned to Wedge. "Continue with evacuation procedures. I'm going into the sublevels."

"I wouldn't recommend it," Wedge replied. "This Academy is rigged with automated defenses. They've been hacked somehow. If you go down there, you'll be facing a number of Jedi training droids."

Starkiller wasn't fazed. "Then I'll cut a swathe right through them."

He walked past Wedge and with a wave of his hand, entered the sublevels.

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Vader and the Man in Black led Juno and Kota into the chamber where Vader had been kept prisoner. Inside was the Force-suppressing unit. The Dark Lord motioned for Kota to get in.

Kota hesitated.

"Enter that machine." Vader began Force Choking Juno again. "Or she dies right now."

Kota bit his lip, and then entered the machine that once held Vader prisoner. The Man in Black waved his hand, and the machine sprang to life. Kota was unable to move.

The aged Jedi glared at the helmeted Sith Lord. "You wanted to get caught on Kamino, didn't you Vader? What's your game?"

"None of that is your concern. For now, pray that Starkiller gets here."

"You're luring him to you. Using me and Juno as bait."

"Starkiller will come for you," Vader answered. "The fear of loss will motivate him."

"And then you kill him?"

"We will see who the stronger of the two truly is," Vader replied. And it was then that Kota realized that Vader was not speaking of himself.

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_ It's too quiet_, Starkiller thought as he wandered through the hallways of the sublevel. After the destruction of this enclave during the First Jedi Civil War, salvagers would venture in to find valuable Jedi artifacts. Once again, after the Jedi Purge nineteen years ago, the sublevels had been picked clean.

Except for the training droids that General Kota had commissioned for practice.

Starkiller's weapons flared on as two training droids rushed him from the sides. Starkiller thrust both his weapons out, parrying the lightsabers of the two robots. He flipped out of the way, reversing himself so as to prevent them from surrounding him.

That's when the snap-hiss of another lightsaber sent a shudder up his spine. He spared a glance behind him to see another training droid advancing on him. This one was larger than the other two and wielded a green double-bladed saber.

All three droids attacked at once.

Starkiller Force Repulsed them, trying to keep a distance, trying to keep from getting surrounded.

He then tried to fry the nearest droid with Force Lightning.

The droid merely absorbed the lightning, which had no effect but to merely recharge it. Starkiller's eyes widened. "That could be a problem."

The three droids moved in on him, hacking, slashing, parrying. The darkness of the sublevels was illuminated by flashes of blue, green and yellow. Force Lightning didn't affect them. Repulsing them only kept them at bay for a moment.

_ There has to be a way to take them all down at once._

That's when his eyes fell on a computer console in the nearby room. Starkiller whirled around, and Force Pushed himself backwards off a nearby wall into the computer room. The door slammed shut after him.

_ I'm only going to get one chance at this. Gotta make it count!_

Starkiller sliced into the computer console behind him. He began entering the overload program.

Behind him, the tip of a green blade stabbed through the door. The droids were breaking in.

_ Come on, come on, _he mentally urged the computer.

The door was thrown clean across the room, nearly decapitating Starkiller. He looked around as all three training droids entered the room, encircling him.

Starkiller hit the final button on the console, which began sparking with energy.

More energy built up.

About to blow.

And nothing happened.

The droids simultaneously attacked, hammering into Starkiller. The young Jedi parried the two regular droids, before sliding between the legs of the larger one.

Now he was back out in the hall, and the droids were in the room. Starkiller raised his hand and lightning tore from his fingertips.

The droids stood there, unfazed.

But no. He had not aimed at the droids. He aimed at the console. The lightning ran through it, overloading the terminal.

Starkiller holstered his weapons and raised his second arm, pouring even more energy into the computer.

KABOOM!

The force of the explosion threw Starkiller back into a wall as the entire computer room exploded in a shower of light. Droid parts were flung everywhere. As he rose up, the head of the larger training droid landed at his feet. He kicked it aside.

A tremor in the Force.

"I'm coming Juno!"

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The Man in Black turned away from a holofeed featuring Starkiller. "He is more resourceful than you gave him credit for, Lord Vader."

"Then let us hope that he is not as resourceful as you. For your sake."

The Man in Black chuckled. "We're about to find out, aren't we? He is here."

The door to the room was blasted off its hinges as Starkiller stormed in. His lightsabers sprang to life. "VADER! Where is she?!"

The lights to the room flared on. Juno was hanging from the ceiling by her wrists, energy binders keeping her in place. Kota was encased in the very same Force suppressor that once housed Vader.

Starkiller pointed the tip of his lightsaber at the Dark Lord. "YOU LET THEM GO!"

"Your anger has served you well. Now surrender yourself completely to the Dark Side."

Starkiller twirled his swords. "I will never serve it or you again!"

"You will always serve me." The Dark Lord motioned to the Man in Black, who stepped forward. He reached up, pulling back his hood and removing the black mask.

His face looked exactly like Starkiller's.

Starkiller's mouth was agape. "H-how?"

"I lied when I told you that the cloning process had not been perfected," Vader thundered. Next to him, the second clone, the "Dark Apprentice", folded his arms and smirked.

"Impossible," Kota yelled. "Jedi can't be cloned! This is a trick!"

Vader turned to Starkiller. "You still have great potential. And I still may have use for you." He nodded to the Dark Apprentice, who, with a flick of his wrists, ignited two red lightsabers. "But first I have to determine which of the two of you are worthy to be my apprentice." The Dark Lord made for the door. "In the meantime, I have other things to attend to." He exited, and Kota could only watch as the Dark Apprentice menaced on Starkiller.

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TIE Bombers had begun strafing runs on the enclave, thundering the inside with falling walls and flying shrapnel. Wedge Antilles thrust his way through some burning columns as he reached a newly outfitted hangar.

Several Rebel troops and officers were boarding a Medium Transport as Wedge made his way towards a Y-wing. He was greeted by two other pilots.

"Is everyone out?" he asked.

The larger pilot shrugged. "I think so. We have to move quickly, the bombers are making another pass."

"What about General Kota?"

"I haven't seen him. I would assume he got out."

"And Starkiller?"

Again the large pilot shrugged. "To be honest, I haven't seen him since he went down into the sublevels."

Wedge wrung his hands. "You two - go on ahead of me. Protect the transports. That Star Destroyer out there isn't going to just sit there twiddling its thumbs." He turned and began heading out of the hangar.

"Where are you going?"

"I'll be along in a minute," Wedge called over his shoulder. "Just protect those transports at all costs, you hear me Porkins?"

"Yes, sir."

Wedge made sure his blaster was secure as he made for the sublevels.

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Sparks flew as Starkiller and the Dark Apprentice violently clashed sabers. The two circled, their arms never slowing in a frenzied dance.

More sparks.

The Dark Apprentice sliced a panel free of the wall, which he then threw at Starkiller. Starkiller deflected, just in time to parry a sideswipe from his foe. They circled again.

Kota could not believe what was happening before his eyes. It was like watching two halves of a whole fighting together. They knew each other's moves, techniques, weaknesses.

But how? It was impossible to clone a Jedi, wasn't it? But yet, there the Dark Apprentice was, an exact replica of Starkiller. With a nastier disposition to boot.

But what did this mean for Starkiller? Could the original truly be dead then? Could the Starkiller he had fought alongside with on Kamino truly be a clone as well?

The Dark Apprentice blasted Starkiller back with Force Lightning, before unleashing a Force Repulse, blasting him straight through a wall into the next room. He leaped after him.

Starkiller pushed debris from off of him, and rolled out of the way as the red saber nearly made its mark. He sprung to his feet, spinning into another attack. The Dark Apprentice lazily turned his swords aside, before charging again, knocking Starkiller through some equipment.

"You know," the Dark Apprentice said as he stood over Starkiller. "I was expecting something a little more ... grandiose."

Starkiller pushed himself to his feet. "Don't worry, I'm not done yet."

"Good."

The Dark Apprentice used the Force to pull the wall behind Starkiller down. Starkiller whirled around, blasting the debris away.

One second two slow.

The Dark Apprentice nicked him in the shoulder, and Starkiller yelped in pain. He spun his sword, narrowly parrying another attack.

The Dark Apprentice blasted him back into the third room - what appeared to be a library. Ancient artifacts littered the large room. The Dark Apprentice didn't give Starkiller the time to look around. He tore into him, and their four sabers clashed again.

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Kota was beginning to abandon hope when someone appeared in the doorway. "That you, kid?"

"Depends, General. Which kid are you talking about?"

"Antilles?"

Wedge approached the Force-suppressing unit. "Don't worry, General, I'm going to get you out of here."

"Don't worry about me, just yet." Kota nodded his head towards the half-conscious Juno, who was hanging by her wrists. "Get her first, before her arms dislocate."

"Yes, General."

And Wedge began the work involved in freeing her from the energy binders.

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Starkiller pressed his back against a large shelving, filled with hundreds of holobooks. He was on the second level of the library. He reached out with his feelings, sensing for his opponent.

His eyes widened as the tip of a red blade carved through the shelving, melting away several holobooks. The shelving was then tipped over; Starkiller rolled out of the way. The Dark Apprentice was there instantly, crossing both blades in a scissor attack. Starkiller lashed out with his foot, kicking the Dark Apprentice over the edge of the balcony.

As he fell, the Dark Apprentice Force Pulled Starkiller with him, nearly impaling the Jedi clone. Starkiller repulsed him in mid-fall, and the two landed on their feet, facing each other.

And their swords clashed again.

Starkiller's face dripped with sweat. The Dark Apprentice grinned as he turned aside an attack. "You are growing weary. As for me, I am as energized as ever. This is the power of the Dark Side, the power that _you _could have wielded."

The Dark Apprentice Force Pushed him, smashing Starkiller into a Jedi statue. Starkiller dropped to the ground, his lightsabers rolling away. Force Lightning tore through Starkiller, blasting him further across the floor. He winced as the Dark Apprentice casually strode towards him.

Starkiller reached out, trying to summon one of his fallen lightsabers. The Dark Apprentice's boot crushed his wrist, grinding it into the cold, metal floor.

"How could you _possibly _be a clone of Marek?" The Dark Apprentice shook his head, his nose wrinkled in disgust. "The original Starkiller was able to take on both Lord Vader and the Emperor by himself. But you ... your compassion and love for that woman have made you weak."

"Sometimes a person's friends are their strongest assets!" The voice rang out from behind. Kota, Juno and Wedge appeared in the door of the library.

The Dark Apprentice laughed. "All of you in one place? Good. Then you can all die - TOGETHER!"

The Dark Apprentice raised his arms, and a giant cave-in ensued. Kota held up his arms, holding back the ceiling from caving in. "Blast ... I can't ... hold it for long!"

"Now that he's preoccupied ..." The Dark Apprentice Force Pulled Juno into his grip.

Starkiller's eyes flashed. "Let. Her. Go."

"Oh the familiar places," the Dark Apprentice mocked. "You never learned the first lesson of Lord Vader's training. You must hate what the original loved." He looked at Juno, and his face was filled with contempt.

Starkiller struggled to pull himself to his feet, but the Dark Apprentice's other boot pinned his chest to the floor. "The difference between you and me is that I gleefully followed that lesson. Allow me to demonstrate."

The Dark Apprentice sheathed his lightsabers, before procuring a strange-looking, black vibroblade. Juno's eyes turned into saucers at the sight. The Dark Apprentice slashed her across the chest, before hurling her across the room.

"NOOOO!"

Starkiller Force Repulsed the Dark Apprentice off of him, before summoning both of his lightsabers and charging. The Dark Apprentice merely smiled. "Good. Feed into your anger. Just like on Kamino."

Starkiller hesitated for a moment, realizing how nearly he had fallen on Kamino.

The Dark Apprentice took advantage of it by blasting Starkiller back into a wall, then running him through the shoulder with a lightsaber. Starkiller let out a tiny gasp, and then slid to the floor in a heap.

The Dark Apprentice blasted a hole in the wall, making his triumphant exit.

Kota, unable to hold the ceiling back anymore, collapsed as the entire building caved in.

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And Starkiller lay there, covered in debris. His pupils dilated, as he finally surrendered to oblivion.

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"_No! You mustn't give in to despair! Give in to despair ... and the Dark Side will have already claimed you_!"

The voice came from everywhere and nowhere at once. Starkiller saw only white surrounding him. But as he slowly lifted his eyes up, he saw a figure in Jedi robes. A man with long hair was approaching him.

"_In our darkest moments, hope is a gift that we give ourselves. Once a person gives up hope, they might as well be a machine. Like Vader_."

"Who ... who are you?" Starkiller asked weakly.

"_I am Qui-Gon Jinn. And I've come to save a lost soul. Your friends need you. You must stand up."_

"I can't. Too ... weak. Covered in ... debris."

"_Don't think. Feel."_

"But I -."

"_There are no buts. There is only the Force_."

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"YAAAARRRGGGHHHH!"

The debris from the collapsed ceiling blew apart, shredded into nothing as Starkiller blasted it clean away. There - Juno! He saw her, and, despite his wounds, picked her up. She exhaled ... she was still breathing!

And there - Wedge Antilles. He had managed to escape the cave-in. Starkiller nodded at him. "Get Master Kota."

Wedge had been standing there, mouth agape at seeing the Jedi blast himself free like that. Starkiller's words brought him back to reality. "Oh, right!" Kota had taken a hit on the head and lay unconscious. Wedge scooped the aged Jedi Knight up, and they exited the room.

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Outside, the TIE Bombers blasted what was left of the Rebel Base/Jedi Enclave into oblivion.

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Starkiller and Wedge stood on a hilltop overlooking their base, watching the explosion. Starkiller turned away, his anger at his former master growing. _No, I reject my anger. There is no emotion. There is peace_.

Wedge looked worried. "I think all the transports got away." He glanced over at Starkiller. "But how are we getting off planet?"

A blast of wind engulfed them as the _Rogue Shadow_ descended. Starkiller managed a smile. "That answer your question?"

In the cockpit, Proxy flipped a switch and a landing ramp opened. Starkiller and Wedge, carrying Juno and Kota, climbed aboard. And the _Rogue Shadow _took to the stars.

Starkiller carried Juno towards the rear of the ship, Wedge in tow. "We need to get them to the medbay."

"And what about you? You literally got impaled with a lightsaber. How are you still functioning?"

Starkiller frowned. He had been so fixed on rescuing Juno and Kota that he hadn't even thought about his wounds. Now all the pain from the wound in his shoulder came screaming back.

He delicately placed Juno on a cot, Kota next to her.

Starkiller, then overcome with his wounds, collapsed to the cold floor of the ship into unconsciousness.

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The Imperial Star Destroyer, the _Devastator_, hovered in space. Darth Vader stood on the bridge, arms folded. The droids in the Star Destroyer's medbay had furbished a new droid hand to replace the one Vader lost on Kamino.

And now the Dark Lord watched as he felt the Rebel base get wiped away.

Behind him, the Dark Apprentice entered the bridge and knelt down. "It is done, my Master."

"And you have made sure _not_ to kill him?"

"He won't be doing any action for a while, but he'll be alright. The _Rogue Shadow _departed Dantooine not even ten minutes ago."

"Good. And you made sure to use that vibroblade I gave you on the woman?"

"I have, my Master."

Vader turned around to look at his new acolyte. "You have done well, my new apprentice."

"Forgive me, my Lord, but why go to all this trouble? Why not just kill him?"

"That does not concern you. You are dismissed."

"Very good, my lord." The Dark Apprentice turned and walked away, fists clenched that Vader's orders were for his "brother" to continue to live.

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Author's Note: Hey, I just wanted to fill in what I perceived to be a plot hole in this story and in Episode IV: A New Hope. The plot hole concerns Princess Leia lying to Vader and Tarkin about Dantooine being the Rebel base. Obviously Vader would know Leia is lying because he ordered the attack on Dantooine. Well, to make this story fit with Episode IV, let's say that Vader knew Leia was lying about Dantooine being the Rebel Base, he just didn't say anything. Vader was getting flak about not being able to locate the stolen Death Star plans, so he figured he would let Tarkin believe Leia, go to Dantooine, and find an abandoned/destroyed base in order to make Tarkin look bad. You could almost hear the smugness in Vader's voice when Tarkin discovered the truth: "I _told_ you she would never consciously betray the Rebellion."

Anyway, just wanted to retcon that.


	3. Chapter 3: Raynor's Gamble

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars; this is merely a fanfiction.

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_ Starkiller entered a large, white room. Several medical droids stood over a table. He made his way over. _"_Let me see her!_"

"_Sir, please - we must ask you to leave!"_

"_What's going on? Is she -_"

_ The droid gently pushed him back. _"_We are trying everything we can. She's not responding to our treatments._"

"_She's dying?_"

_ "_"_We cannot tell for sure. It's as though something in her cells - midichlorians you call them - are beginning to turn against her own body. We're losing her.""_

"_You can't be losing her! Do something!"_

"_I'm afraid that there is nothing more we can do ..._"

_ Starkiller grunted as he pushed the droid aside. He stood over the operating table. He caressed the face below him, pushing the blonde hair aside._

"_Juno..._"

_ The heart monitor picked up speed. Juno stirred, but her eyes remained closed. The heart monitor continued to pick up speed until ..._

_ It stopped._

"_Juno?_"

_ No response. The medical droids scurried about, trying everything in their power to bring Juno back. Starkiller held her head up against his chest._

"_JUNO!_"

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"JUNO!"

Starkiller bolted upright in his bed, his face bathed in sweat. He looked around ... he was in a medical facility of some kind. A syringe was embedded in his arm, filling him with medicine.

"I'm right here, you know."

Starkiller turned his gaze to his right. Sitting at his bedside was Juno, reading off a holopad.

"I haven't left your side since ..."

Starkiller fell back on his pillow. "... a nightmare."

"You've been having a lot of them. It's not surprising, what with everything that happened on Dantooine."

"Dantooine ... what happened again?"

"There was a clone of you ... He set Vader free, wounded you. And me." She pointed to a bandage on an exposed part of her chest. A nasty scar ran down her shoulderblade, then below her clothesline to her chest. "Son of a nerf-herder cut me with some kind of weird vibroblade."

"Vibroblade?"

"Indeed. Captain Antilles managed to grab the weapon as he and you carried me and General Kota unconscious to the _Rogue Shadow_. That was before you passed out and went into a coma."

"A coma? How long was I out?"

"A couple weeks."

Starkiller groaned and rolled over. "Where are we?"

"Cloud City. Where you first picked Kota up."

"You mean where the _original_ Starkiller picked Kota up."

Juno rested her hand on his shoulder. "You _are_ the original Starkiller."

"No, I'm not. I'm a replica, a fake."

"But Kota said -."

"Kota was wrong!" Starkiller bolted upright. "You saw what I was dueling on Dantooine! There's another clone of Starkiller out there working as Vader's executioner! Which means that it _is _possible to clone a Jedi!"

"That may be ... but I would know if you were a different person. You are the original Starkiller. There was a glimmer of light he held onto until the very end ... and he holds onto that light still." She put her holopad aside and got up. "Kota will want to know that you're awake."

"Where is Kota?"

"In the casino. Captain Antilles is with him, though he's itching to get back into action. Kota has taken up an ... interesting pastime. Sabaac."

"So while I was in a coma, he was busy gambling?"

"Well ... it's not _really _gambling. Proxy is disguised as a patron, and he's counting cards."

"A Jedi who cheats. Nice. But what if there are Imperials around?"

"They won't recognize him. He plays the part of the blind beggar very well." She chuckled as Starkiller rolled back over into his bed.

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"I win again! That was a good series of matches. I cleaned you out good, didn't I Landon?"

His opponent frowned. "It's Lando."

"That's what I said."

The defeated Lando Calrissian shook his head. He thought the blind old man would be an easy mark. He got cleaned out. He would have to return with more funds and try his luck at the casino again. Maybe he could play the Baron Administrator ...

Wedge Antilles stood over to the side wearing a veil and nomadic clothing to conceal his identity. Proxy had taken on the appearance of an old woman. Antilles shook his head. "This is totally unethical."

"I must concur, General," Proxy added. "It's against my programming to impersonate a -."

"Bah, don't get all moral on me. I never played by the Jedi's rules, I'm not about to play by droid rules." He stood up, stretching. "I'm going for a drink. Care to join me, Antilles? I'm buying." He held up the credits he had just won.

Wedge grinned as he followed Kota. Proxy waved his arms. "And what about me?"

Kota shrugged. "I'm sure they serve your kind."

Proxy shook his head. "Perhaps I can be of some service to Captain Eclipse." Kota and Wedge headed for the bar, as Proxy turned and headed back towards the hospital.

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Proxy traipsed up the landing platform that held the _Rogue Shadow_. "Captain? Captain Eclipse?"

Juno slid out from underneath the ship, hydrospanner in hand. "Yes, Proxy?"

"I was wondering if I might be of assistance. General Kota and Mr. Antilles have taken up a rather ... curious pastime."

"I could use the assistance, sure."

Juno stood up, heading over to her toolbox when -.

"Captain Juno Eclipse?"

Juno turned to see several of Cloud City's blue uniformed Wing Guards standing there.

"Yes, can I help you?"

The lead Wing Guard slapped energy binders on her wrists. "In the name of Baron Administrator Dominic Raynor, you are under arrest."

Juno was indignant. "For what charges?"

"Baron Administrator Raynor will read off the charges. Come with us."

Juno was led at gunpoint, as Proxy followed along behind them. "Oh dear."

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"_Juno. I won't let you die_."

_ Starkiller stood in a large medical room, Juno lying on the medical table._

"_We're losing her,_" _a medical droid commented._

_ Starkiller held Juno's hand. _"_Don't give up, Juno. Don't give up."_

_ Juno's heart-monitor was going off. _"_Don't give up,_" _Starkiller found himself repeating. _"_Don't give up ... Padme_."

_ Padme?_

_ The heart monitor went off again, and Juno slipped into eternity._

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Starkiller bolted upright in his bed, lashing out in fierce anger. His rage caused him to blast the first thing he saw up against a wall.

Which happened to be one of the Bespin Wing Guards which had come to arrest him.

One of the guards nodded to the others. "Blast him!"

They raised their pistols, opening fire.

Starkiller sprang out of bed, wearing nothing but his hospital shirt and slacks. He Force Repulsed the guards against the wall, knocking them clean out. _Where are my clothes? And lightsabers?_

He didn't have time to look. A tremor in the Force took hold. "Juno!"

He took off down the hall, leaving nurses confused and horrified as their patient tore past them.

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Juno and Proxy were led to a large office. Juno took notice of an extensive collection of antiquities. A tall chair sat behind a desk; the back of the chair concealed who was sitting in it. Next to the chair was a bald man, with a machine plugged into his head.

A puff of smoke exhaled from the chair, as it swiveled around to reveal an older gentleman.

"Captain Juno Eclipse, I presume?"

"So you know who I am," Juno commented. "But I'm afraid I'm at a loss for who you are? And why am I here?"

The older man puffed on a smoking device. "I am Dominic Raynor, Baron Administrator of Cloud City."

"Okay. Now I know who you are. Now why am I under arrest?"

Raynor smiled as leaned back in his chair. "Are you a gambling woman, Captain Eclipse?"

"Not really, no."

"Pity. There's such a ... _thrill _to it."

"What are you getting at?"

Raynor's smirk only grew wider. "You see, life on this city can get rather dull. I'm a high stakesman. I enjoy the thrill of it, and you have brought me what may be the ultimate gambling piece."

"Oh. What?"

"I've bet on sports, the outcome of space battles ... but I've never had the opportunity to wager against a Jedi before."

Juno's mouth hung open. "General Kota?"

"Don't be foolish woman. That old drunk won't let excite my patrons. But the young Jedi you left lying in the hospital ward ... If he can get past my security, you're free to go."

"Starkiller. You're betting against the wrong one, _Baron Administrator_."

Raynor blew smoke right in her face. "Oh, that's why I've evened the odds. Show them, Lobot." The bald man next to Raynor, Lobot, held open a small case. Inside were both of Starkiller's lightsabers. "Your Jedi will be more taxed without his signature weapons," Raynor said. "And if he can defeat my champion ..." A door opened, and a figure in red armor and a red helmet appeared. "... you'll be free to leave," Raynor finished.

"And if Starkiller loses?" Juno asked.

"Then I turn all of you over to the Empire and collect a sizable reward."

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Starkiller bolted through the streets of Cloud City, totally weaponless. Well, the Force served as a weapon just as easily as a blade.

"There he is! Set for stun!"

More Wing Guards appeared in the street behind him. Starkiller threw himself behind a statue as blaster fire lanced around him. Patrons screamed and ducked for cover.

"We've got him pinned down! Move out!"

Starkiller sprung out from behind the statue, using the Force to lift it free of its moorings. He suspended it up in midair, before launching it at the Cloud City cops.

BAM!

Two of the Wing Guards were trapped underneath it. The rest were merely slowed down as they spread out around the hallway, climbing over the statue and their fallen comrades.

Starkiller darted into a nearby elevator just as its doors closed.

Inside, elevator music played as an old man and his Twi-lek escort eyed him suspiciously. Starkiller shifted uncomfortably as the music continued playing. The elevator opened up onto another level.

"Here's my stop."

Starkiller respectfully nodded to the old man as he rushed out into the next level of streets.

"There he is! Spread out!" More Wing Guards appeared.

Starkiller ducked through a doorway, slamming it shut as it was riddled with laser fire. He was outside on a balcony overlooking Cloud City. No time to admire the beautiful red clouds. The door behind him burst open - and the doorway on the other side of the balcony slid open. Several more guards appeared. "You're surrounded!"

Starkiller looked forward and behind and then ... leaped.

Trusting the Force, he dove over the edge of the balcony, landing spread-eagle on the outside of a Cloud Car.

Inside, the pilot aimed his blaster straight at Starkiller's head. The young Jedi rolled up onto the roof as laser fire riddled upwards. The Cloud Car accelerated, and Starkiller hung on for dear life.

He spared a glance downward ... big mistake. He gulped as he saw nothing but swirling clouds. If he fell, it would be for forever.

He rolled onto the cockpit, kicking through the glass. His boot connected with the pilot's head, and he slumped forward. Completely knocked out. Starkiller shoved him aside and took over the controls.

Behind him, two more Cloud Cars slid into position, giving chase.

Starkiller jerked the control stick, sending his vessel into a dive - right for several towering spires. Several patrols watched from the spires as Starkiller nearly crashed right into them.

Laser fire filled the yellow sky, as the two Cloud Cars continued their pursuit. Starkiller programmed the ship into autopilot as he released some spare parts from the back. The spare parts were blasted by the other two Cloud Cars.

The explosion of the spare parts masked Starkiller as he opened the cockpit of his airship, and dove into a freefall.

The other two Cloud Cars didn't notice the Jedi diving out of his ship. They continued to pursue the renegade Cloud Car, unaware that it was now on autopilot.

Stariller reared his fists back, and then jammed them forward, Force blasting the roof of a building as he landed back inside a street on Cloud City. Stretching out, he mentally searched for Juno.

There!

He turned and sprinted in her direction.

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Juno cried out as two Wing Guards jabbed her with miniature force pikes. "I'm going!"

Raynor grinned as Lobot and the rest of his men led them into a large, dark room. Orange lights sprang on, and steam erupted with a hiss. Juno looked around. It was a large, circular room, surrounded by stairs and elevated catwalks.

Raynor noted the expression on her face. "Impressed?"

"What is this place?"

"A fitting arena for your young Jedi to face my Champion. Ah, and my clientele have already arrived."

Standing on the catwalks were what appeared to be several dignitaries, Senators, even a few Nemoidians from the Trade Federation. Raynor gestured in their direction. "Come, you deserve your spot to witness the ultimate in intergalactic gambling."

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The door to the large room opened as Starkiller burst his way through. The dim orange lights cast an eerie glow on Raynor and his cohorts. And there, with them -.

"Juno!"

Raynor stepped forward to address the Jedi. "I must congratulate you on making it this far. Especially without your signature weapons." He nodded to Lobot who showed the Jedi his twin lightsabers.

"Let them go!"

"Now, now, you're not in any position to be making demands." Raynor smirked as he turned to his guests. "For those who may not know, you are now standing in Cloud City's carbon freezing chamber. Freezing prized possessions in carbonite is especially effective in preserving them for years to come. Now, to make this gambling occasion more exciting, this young Jedi will duel my Champion. The winner is free to leave with some extra credits. The loser will be encased in carbonite." A wicked grin spread across his face. "Held captive in suspended animation forever ... immune to sickness, disease ... of course, it hasn't been properly tested on a human subject before, so it may very well kill the loser. How about we take some bets on whether the freezing process is survivable or not?"

"Enough!" Starkiller's fists were clenched. "I'm taking my friends out of here, even if I have to go through a hundred of your so-called 'Champions'!"

Raynor's eyes narrowed to slits. "Very well. Let the duel begin!"

A door on the far side of the Carbon Freezing Chamber sprang open, and the masked Champion entered. The Champion tilted his head curiously at Starkiller, before spinning a large vibrosword.

Raynor held out his hand. "It has always been my contention that Jedi were helpless without their prized lightsabers. But of course, I will not have this Jedi _completely_ defenseless." Lobot entered the circular platform on the chamber, awarding Starkiller with a vibrosword of his own, before joining the others atop the catwalk.

And the Champion lunged, their vibroswords clashing violently.

Above, Juno grinned. "You have no idea who this Jedi is, Raynor. He's gone toe to toe with, and nearly defeated, Darth Vader himself."

Raynor raised his eyebrow. "Then you should have nothing to fear then."

"Oh, I'm not afraid for him. I'm afraid for you for. For what he's going to do to you when he defeats your man down there. People who harm those whom he loves have a nasty habit of walking away without a couple of limbs."

"I'm not worried. You underestimate my Champion."

Starkiller leaped over a horizontal slash, before responding with a kick to the head. The Champion grunted, before thrusting the sword forward. Starkiller turned him aside, spinning, nicking him in the leg. The Champion grunted, before spinning back and raising his hand. Starkiller was hit with a surge of Force energy.

As he stood up, his mouth hung agape in shock. _He's a Force-user_, he marveled.

He threw himself back into the duel, hammering away at the Champion's defenses. The Champion was nicked again, and let out a yelp. Starkiller cocked his head - the Champion had a feminine voice. _So he's actually a _she_! And there's something I recognize about her._

The Champion thrust out _her _weapon, nearly taking Starkiller's arm off. Starkiller circled her, pointing the tip of his vibrosword at her. "You seem very familiar ..."

The Champion cocked her helmet. "How could you have forgotten?"

And everyone watched in shock as the Champion backed away, pressing a button on her wrist. Slowly, her armor fell away, revealing grey skin, a feminine figure and a black jumpsuit. Starkiller and everyone else watched in amazement as she reached up, pulled her helmet free, and tossed it aside.

Starkiller could not contain his shock. "_You!_"

Maris Brood grinned. "Ah, you finally recognize me." She tossed aside her vibrosword and flicked her wrists, activating her red shoto-mounted lightsabers.


	4. Chapter 4: Old Enemy, New Ally

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars; this is merely a fanfiction.

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Starkiller could barely contain his shock as Maris Brood spun her wrist-mounted shoto blades in increasingly fast circles. She revved up, and then charged him head-on. Starkiller angled his vibrosword defensively.

Brood was nearly on him.

And just before her blades made contact, she vanished right before his very eyes.

Up above, Dominic Raynor and his Nemoidian cohorts gloated, while Juno and Proxy watched anxiously.

Maris appeared behind Starkiller, Force Pushing him across the Carbon Freezing Chamber. Starkiller slammed onto his back with a sickening thud. He staggered to his feet as Maris charged again, before disappearing.

This time she reappeared right in front of him, and began unleashing a flurry of devastating blows with her lightsabers. Starkiller quickly fended them off with his vibrosword, but each successive blow drove him further and further to the edge of the room. One slip, and he would fall to the level below.

"What's the matter, not expecting to see me again?" Brood gloated.

Starkiller grit his teeth. "I let you live. I gave you a second chance!"

"And I thank you for that."

And she vanished again.

Starkiller moved away from the edge of the circular platform, his back now towards the center. Brood apparated on the opposite side of the platform, using the Force to rip machinery from their moorings and hurl them at him. Starkiller batted the projectiles aside; Brood was gone again.

She reappeared at the top of the stairs, the orange neon glow reflecting off her pale skin. She leaped off the top, bringing both her sabers to bear. Starkiller caught her in midair using the Force, before throwing her aside. She recovered quickly with a Force Repulse.

The two scrabbled to their feet and faced each other down again.

Above, it was all Raynor could do to keep from laughing. "Things do not seem to be going in your favor," he taunted Juno. "Not only will I take these Trade Federation imps to the cleaners ... but the Empire will pay me a hefty sum for your Jedi friend. Whether he's alive or dead makes little difference to them, I think."

"You overestimate your chances," Juno retorted.

He shrugged. "We shall see."

Below, Starkiller shrugged off another Force attack, before fending off several vicious lightsaber blows. "You've improved much since Felucia," he said.

"You as well," Maris replied. "Though there's something ... not quite the same about you."

"Why are you doing this?" Starkiller asked, parrying a downward slash. "You were given a second chance - a chance to turn your life around! To stop serving the Dark Side!"

Brood seemed indignant. "Who says I've continued serving the Dark Side?"

"I can feel its taint still within you!"

She cocked her head. "And what makes you think the taint you feel is mine?"

"Then who's taint is it?!" he growled.

"No. Not yet. You'll have to prove yourself to me before you can meet ..." Her voice trailed off.

"Meet who?"

"Don't concern yourself!" She vanished again, before blasting Starkiller into the carbon freezing pit.

Above, Raynor cheered. "Yes! Do it! Finish it! Freeze him alive!"

Starkiller burst up out of the pit, bringing his vibrosword down on Maris' head. She crossed her blades in an x-shape, blocking it. "Impressive," she smirked. She suddenly retracted one of her blades, before reactivating it, slicing Starkiller across the hip. She headbutted him, and he lost his vibrosword. With a quick takedown move, she had Starkiller pinned to the floor, both of her blades pointed at his neck.

Raynor was triumphant. "Yes! Finish him! His corpse will catch us a hefty fee on Coruscant!"

Starkiller looked up, preparing for the deadly blow. But yet, he didn't feel the Dark Side within Brood. The taint he felt earlier was an external taint ... one that had latched onto her. Nevertheless ...

To everyone's surprise, Brood retracted both her lightsabers.

"What are you doing?" Raynor roared. "I ordered you to finish him!"

"I surrender," Brood stated.

"What?!" Raynor could almost feel the smirks coming from the Trade Federation gamblers.

Maris shrugged. "I surrender. The Jedi wins. He's thus free to go!"

Juno grinned as Maris helped Starkiller to his feet.

"No! I'm in control here!" Raynor turned to Lobot. "Summon my Wing Guards. If she can't finish this Jedi, I'll have _both_ their heads delivered to the Emperor!"

"Not a wise move," Brood said. "You saw what this Jedi did to the Wing Guards you sent after him earlier. And you know very well what my capabilities are. It's not worth dying over."

Raynor grit his teeth.

"And besides," Brood went on. "Ymile would never forgive me if I disembowled you."

Raynor's whole disposition changed at the mention of his girlfriend's name. He turned to Lobot, defeated. "Give that Jedi back his weapons."

Lobot nodded as he descended the stairs. He wordlessly presented Starkiller with his twin lightsabers, and Starkiller happily took them back.

Raynor gave the order, and Juno and Proxy were free to go. He motioned towards the grinning Nemoidians, who were rubbing their hands in anticipation. "Come with me ... I'll give you your winnings." He glared back down at Maris and Starkiller, and his voice went from defeated to deadly. "Don't think I'll forget this." He trudged off, the Trade Federation reps in tow. Lobot gave them a nod, and followed after his master.

Maris grinned as Juno embraced Starkiller. "Hey, so you guys wanna see my penthouse? Did I mention I have a penthouse?"

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Juno relaxed on one of Maris' couches as Proxy served them drinks from her minibar. The penthouse had a beautiful white interior with orange furniture. The view of the clouds over Bespin was breathtaking. Juno could hardly take it in.

Maris sat cross-legged on a small, circular chair, as Starkiller paced anxiously. "You _are_ free to sit, you know," she said.

Starkiller turned to face her. "If you didn't want Raynor to kill me, why even fight me in the first place?"

"Hey, a girl's gotta have fun."

"Fun?"

"Hey, lighten up," she replied.

"So how did you fall in with the likes of Raynor?" asked Juno.

"Quite simple. Once I left Felucia, I had no idea what to do with myself. After a series of mishaps, and a couple blunders, I ended up here at one of Cloud City's casinos. Raynor's spies deduced I was a Jedi, and Raynor wanted to hand me over to the Empire. However, I proved my mettle as a competitor in his fighting games, and I brought in more credits as a gambling piece than as a trophy on Vader's wall. But you ... you were a piece of meat too appetizing for him to give up. Good thing Ymile is his weak spot."

"Ymile?" asked Juno.

"His girlfriend."

Juno wrinkled her nose. "Girlfriend?"

"Hey, who said she has good taste? But she is one of the few positive influences on Raynor. Keeps him in check. Kinda like me and my new boyfriend. Did I mention I have a new boyfriend?"

"No," Juno replied. "Does he live here on Cloud City?"

"No. He's ... kind of a drifter. He ended up on Felucia shortly after Starkiller there took off with Senator Organa. He was my ticket off the planet. He was a bit rough around the edges, but I was able to edge my way into his heart. I think."

"Where is he now?" Juno inquired.

"Oh, he's here and there," Maris answered elusively. "He kinda travels, gathers information. Passes it on to me. Then I pass it on to my contact in the Rebel Alliance. Believe me, I'll do what I can to take down the Empire. After what they did to all the Jedi ... and my Master." Her gaze briefly met Starkiller's before dropping.

Juno leaned forward, quite interested. "So you've been working as a spy for the Rebel Alliance?"

"For the past couple months. My boyfriend gave me information on several Imperial targets, and then I passed them on to my contact in the Rebellion. I gotta tell ya', the Empire must've really done my boyfriend wrong for him to be so driven to see it destroyed."

"Starkiller and I have been working with the Rebellion the last couple of months too," Juno said. "If we can't meet your boyfriend, then I'd really like to meet your contact within the Alliance."

Maris shrugged. "Okay. He's at the door now."

The door to Maris' penthouse opened and a grinning General Rahm Kota entered, followed by a quite perplexed Wedge Antilles. "Maris!"

Maris stood up and bowed respectfully before the aged Jedi. "Master Kota."

Starkiller held up his hands in exasperation. "Wait, wait, wait. _Kota_ is your contact? You've been in touch with Kota?"

Brood grinned. "Sure have."

Kotta lovingly slapped her on the shoulder. "Tell your boyfriend that his intel on the Rodian drug ring being a front for the Moffs was good."

Starkiller shook his head. "Any other old enemies you're secretly working with, Kota? Are you going to tell me that Vader is really a double agent too?"

Kota was indignant. "What's the big deal, boy? So she went crazy on Felucia, held Senator Organa prisoner and tried to feed you to her pet rancor. Let bygones be bygones."

"Besides," Maris moved closer. "You're the _last_ person who should be complaining. I mean, you were Darth Vader's own personal executioner. You killed several Jedi - including _my _old master!"

"Technically, I did not," Starkiller spat. "That was the original Galen Marek. I'm just a clone."

Maris shrugged. "If you say so. Though your Force signature feels exactly the same as it did on Felucia. But maybe I'm wrong."

"Enough of this bickering," Kota interjected. "We need to strategize our next move. That is, after all, why I brought us here to Cloud City. What intel has your boyfriend gathered?"

At this, Brood brightened up. "There's a Senator from Naboo with Rebel sympathies. So far she's toed the Imperial line. But the Emperor suspects her, and for reasons we can't explain, Darth Vader has been spying on her and her family."

"Who is this Senator?" Kota asked.

"Pooja Naberrie. She's the niece of the late Padme Amidala, the Queen of Naboo during that whole Trade Federation fiasco a couple decades ago."

At this, Starkiller perked up. "Did you say Padme?"

"Yeah, why?"

He shrugged it off. "Nothing." Kota gave Starkiller a look that practically said, _something's up, and we'll discuss later_.

"So what' so important about this Senator Naberrie?" asked Juno.

"She's very good friends with the Organa family," explained Maris. "Especially close to Princess Leia Organa. You see, Naboo is unique. Its queen, Kylantha, neither supports the Old Republic or the Empire. But because of her popularity, the Imperials dare not eliminate her. At least, not until the Death Star is unveiled. And Pooja Naberrie has been feeding the Organa family intel on the Imperial presence on Naboo. She's been a key informant. But now, things have taken an interesting turn."

"What happened?" asked Juno.

"She's been sent to Onderon to meet with the current Onderonian queen, Ashti. The two are good friends. Onderon is politically split. Ashti wants to stay neutral. However, the populace is split right down the middle between those who support the Empire, and those who do not. The local Imperial Moff, Reeden, hasn't been able convert Ashti to fully support the Empire. So, they sent her friend, Senator Naberrie, to try to talk her into supporting the Empire and crack down on the Rebel sympathizers on Onderon. But this isn't about that - the Emperor wants to reinforce Pooja's loyalty to the Empire. If she fails to get Ashti to support the Empire, Pooja will be arrested as a Rebel sympathizer as well."

"So what can we do?" Juno inquired.

"Moff Reeden has been given the task of making an example of both Queen Ashti and Pooja. If we can disrupt his activities in that sector, it'll throw doubt in the Emperor's mind that Reeden is a capable governor. And if a state of emergency is declared on Onderon, it just so happens that Pooja will be called back home by Naboo's Queen. No harm, no foul."

Starkiller's fingers itched towards his lightsabers. "So what are we waiting for? Let's go?"

"Will you be joining us, Maris?" inquired Juno.

"Nah. I've got to keep tabs on the goings-on of the galaxy here. Besides, someone's got to keep Raynor in check."

Kota grinned. "Alright, kid. Let's get you back on the field doing what you do best."

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The _Rogue Shadow _took off from Cloud City. Juno and Wedge sat in the cockpit. Wedge flipped some gears, and Juno pulled back the lever. The stars became straight lines around them, and they went into hyperspace.

Starkiller sat in the meditation room, rolling everything around in his head. The name Padme. His dreams of Juno. What could it all mean?

The door opened, and Kota entered. He sat down next to Starkiller in a meditation position. "You know," Kota said. "Meditation is supposed to be done when your mind is clear."

"Am I that transparent?"

"Anymore, boy, and I might just use you as fiberglass."

Starkiller chuckled. "There's been a lot on my mind."

"Care to talk about it?"

"Since when do you talk, General?"

At this, Kota laughed. "Hey, I'm your Master now. You're my Padawan. I may not like doing the whole talking thing, but it's something I gotta get used to again."

"It's just a dream."

"Yeah ..."

"I ... well, I keep dreaming about Juno dying. I think it's the future."

"I wouldn't put too much stock in future-telling boy. An old Jedi I knew would tell you the same thing. Except he'd phrase it weird. _'Always in motion is the future.' _Or something like that."

"That's not all," Starkiller continued. "In the latest vision, I was standing over Juno in a medbay ... but she wasn't Juno. And I felt like I was somebody different. But this other person I felt like was so familiar. I can't put my finger on it. And I called Juno by a different name. Padme."

Kota's head perked up. "Curious. Padme was the sister of this Senator Naberrie we're going after."

"You know of her?"

"A little bit. She was Queen of Naboo at 14. She was good friends with two of the toughest damn Jedi I ever met. Master Obi-Wan Kenobi and young Anakin Skywalker. They all had a bunch of misadventures during the Clone Wars. But Padme Amidala died shortly after the rise of the Empire. She was pregnant - probably some lover that she kept secret to keep him from falling under public scrutiny. But then, who knows?"

"What else can you tell me?"

"Well, she united the Gungans with the Nubians, fought the Trade Federation off her planet, and also had some misadventures on Tatooine with Master Jinn. Something about betting on podraces."

Now it was Starkiller's turn to perk up. "M-master Jinn? Qui-Gon Jinn?"

"Yeah, how do you know about him?"

"He ... he came to me. On Dantooine."

"Bah, you're talking like a fool, boy. Master Jinn was killed by a Sith Lord on Tatooine decades ago."

"But he came to me. Like a specter. While I was buried under all that rubble in the Jedi Enclave."

"Well then that explains it! You got a bump on the noggin, and now you're hallucinating!" Kota stood up. "Well, I'm going to go get another drink. That Correllian stuff is fantastic, you want some?"

"I think I'll finish my mediations."

"Bah, you don't know what you're missing. But my advice ... dont' dwell too much on dreams and visions. The past cannot be changed, and the future will come of its own accord. Keep your mind on the here and now."

"I'll try."

And with that, Kota exited and left a confused Starkiller to his meditating.


	5. Chapter 5: Intrigue on Onderon

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars; this is merely a fanfiction.

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A Lambda-class shuttle cut through the starry sky towards the shimmering planet of Onderon. It penetrated the planet's atmosphere and skimmed the surface of Onderon's capitol city, Iziz. The shuttle folded its wings as it entered a hangar in the Royal Palace.

A squad of stormtroopers snapped to attention as a man in a dark grey Imperial uniform approached the shuttle. Moff Reeden folded his arms impatiently as the shuttle's exit ramp lowered. Representative Pooja Naberrie gracefully descended, followed by two handmaidens.

Moff Reeden inclined his head politely. "Ah, Representative Naberrie. We are honored by your presence."

Pooja returned the nod. "Moff Reeden. The feeling is mutual, I'm sure."

The insincerity of her voice did not go undetected by Reeden. "Your ... vacation here ... will be only temporary, M'lady. We have made every effort to ensure your comfort. And the comfort of your comrades." He waved his hand at her handmaidens.

Pooja strutted past him. "I'm sure you have."

Reeden strutted to keep up with her as she strode towards the hangar's exit. "Your negotiations with the Queen will go swimmingly, I'm sure of it. After all, your diplomatic skills are legendary. As were your aunt's."

Pooja nearly stumbled at the mention of her Aunt Padme. Nevertheless, she continued. "I'll be sure that Queen Ashti maintains Onderon's support of Imperial ... _hegemony_."

"And I will be here to oversee you ... guide you through the process."

Pooja knew what his words really meant. She knew what this whole thing was about. The Empire had grown increasingly suspicious of Pooja and where her loyalties lay. She supposed that was why Darth Vader had personally sent his top spies to monitor her family. If she failed to sway Onderon to completely support the Emperor, that would confirm those suspicions. Reeden was there to ascertain where Pooja's - not Ashti's - loyalties lay.

"And I shall be glad for your expertise and guidance." She bowed her head politely.

Reeden was satisfied by the flattery and he stroked his goatee politely. "Then let us proceed to the throne room. Her Highness awaits us."

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Queen Ashti of Onderon drummed her fingers impatiently as two other men argued in front of her. Next to her stood a beautiful, but older women covered in what appeared to be prayer shawls. She seemed detached from the whole argument occurring before them.

The first man wore heavy body armor with two pistols holstered on his thighs. His dark, yet handsome features twisted in anger as he drove home an important point. This was Korr Sunka, the current Beast Lord, leader of what was left of Onderon's Beast Riders.

The other man wore a grey and blue uniform with a sky blue cape. His hair and beard were speckled with silver This was the commander of Onderon's personal military - General Vakorus. Vakorus was retorting back to Korr Sunka. "Our only true option is to submit! The Emperor can use his navy to protect us from whatever is out there in the Outer Rim!"

Korr Sunka shook his head. "I've heard this all before! That same tired argument has been thrust upon Onderon for millennia! We sided with the Republic, and what did that cost us?! The Mandalorian Wars! The Jedi Civil War! The Clone Wars! Now you would have us embroiled in this Galactic Civil War?!"

"With all due respect," Vakorus interrupted, "that was the Republic who dragged you to war!"

"There is no difference! It is the same governing power no matter what it calls itself! Several of my own people have flocked to the Rebel cause - and I cannot blame them! Now those noble Beast Riders who support the Rebellion have been arrested and held captive on Dxun! Their fate most likely will be death! And you would have me support the government that orders it?!"

The two men immediately ceased their heated argument as the door to the throne room opened, and several Imperial stormtroopers led Moff Reeden and Pooja into the assembly.

"Pooja!" Queen Ashti rose from her throne and embraced her friend.

"It's been too long," Pooja remarked as she disengaged from the hug.

Ashti returned to her throne as Pooja looked at the two other men who seemed ready to pull each other's heads off. "Are we interrupting anything?" she asked.

Queen Ashti laughed. "Oh, those two were just bickering about Onderon's position in the Empire."

Moff Reeden rubbed his hands together greedily. "Oh, please do not stop debating on our account. Tell us what you think."

Queen Ashti gave both Korr Sunka and General Vakorus a sharp look that very clearly said: _don't say a word!_

"This is a trying time for us all," Pooja interjected. "The Rebels seem to be gaining support among many Senators."

"Oh?" Reeden was now _very _interested. "You know the names of such Senators?"

"Do I know their identities? Not exactly. There are whispers in the Senate, however. Many supposedly loyalist planets are funneling credits to the Rebels." Pooja shrugged. "Of course, I have word from Naboo's Queen that her support for our Emperor is unwavering." She stared deep into Queen Ashti's eyes. "As I would hope for Onderon's Queen."

Queen Ashti simply nodded.

Moff Reeden, however, was not convinced. "With all due respect to Representative Naberrie - and to Her Highness - we need more than words. Onderon needs to give our Emperor a show of loyalty. Allow for double the manufacturing at Jyrenne Base. And those Beast Riders arrested for their support of the Rebel terrorists - make an example! Show Onderon's support for the Empire by publicly executing them!"

"NO!" The word tore from Kurr Sunka's throat. "You will not lay a finger on _my _people!"

Moff Reeden smirked. "You see, Your Highness, this is one of the reasons _why_ your loyalty to the Emperor is in doubt. The fact that you allow these savages a place in your court - and give voice to them when they show such utter disdain for the Empire - it makes myself and those in the upper Imperial echelons _very _nervous."

Korr Sunka growled. "Then I shall dismiss myself. With your permission, Your Highness."

Queen Asthi nodded. "Granted. But do not stray too far. I would talk with you on the veranda."

Korr Sunka shot a nasty glare at Moff Reeden, before storming out of the throne room.

Pooja finally broke the silence. "If the Empire wishes for Onderon's full support, then perhaps mercy - rather than execution - would do more to sway public opinion."

"Representative Naberrie, I'm ashamed of you," Reeden replied. "I would have thought that by now you would understand that we cannot show mercy to those who would seek to destroy our stability."

"All I am saying," Pooja continued, "is that the Empire can sometimes show leniency. Offer pardons here and there. The Emperor should show the people that he is not the monster the Rebellion paints him as. He could also venture out more, be among his faithful citizens."

"And expose himself to assassination? I am beginning to wonder about _your _loyalty as well, Representative Naberrie."

"Beginning?" Pooja laughed. "Let's stop playing games, Reeden. My loyalties have always been in doubt. That is, after all, the purpose of summoning me here."

"His Highness the Emperor summoned you here in the hopes of showing Queen Ashti the insanity of allowing insurrectionists like those savage Beast Riders to roam free. But, if you are ready to confess to being a full-blown traitor -."

"How dare you!" Queen Ashti stood up. "I am loyal to the Emperor. And so is Representative Naberrie! Let our words be enough!"

There was silence in the room. Moff Reeden's face purpled. He was about to open his mouth, when he was cut off by another voice.

"Perhaps we are all being a little too hasty. We are, after all, allies. Are we not?" The voice was spoken very sweetly, but with a hint of danger. The beautiful older woman in prayer shawls descended from Queen Ashti's side, and addressed everyone present.

"I do not remember addressing _you,_ witch," Reeden hissed.

Queen Ashti raised her hand, and he fell silent. "What do you have to say, Gazellia?"

"We need unity now, more than ever. I have seen the future. If the Empire does not stand together, then it will fall together. And I am frightened by what may happen to the galaxy."

"What do you see?" asked Ashti.

Gazellia's lips thinned. "Destruction. Chaos."

"You know these things?" inquired General Vakorus.

"I have seen it. All the Daughters of Allya see it."

"Bah!" Moff Reeden waved her away. "I grow weary of this witch's mumbo jumbo. Honestly, her religion is more tired than the hocus pocus of the Jedi. I will retire at Jyrenne Base. Representative Naberrie - I will be in contact with you tomorrow."

He exited, followed by the Imperial stormtroopers.

Ashti stood up. "I believe I will retire as well." She turned, and hugged Pooja. "I was really glad to see you again! Please, have breakfast with me tomorrow!"

Pooja smiled. "I wouldn't miss it for all the spice on Kessel."

The Queen exited, followed by several Onderon militia.

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Queen Ashti reached a doorway leading to the veranda. She motioned to the Onderon troopers, who allowed her to continue alone.

Outside on the veranda, Beast Lord Korr Sunka stood looking out the night sky of Onderon, arms folded. "You cannot execute those Beast Riders," he said firmly as the Queen joined him.

"I don't know what to do. I am glad Pooja is here -."

"She was sent here to ensure you do Moff Reeden's bidding," Korr Sunka interrupted. "Her own life depends upon it."

"I know. Perhaps Gazellia will have an answer."

Korr Sunka shook his head disdainfully. "I would not trust that witch. That is one thing I most certainly can agree with Moff Reeden on."

"She is not a witch. She is a daughter of Allya. She has helped us before. She will help us again. And she has no love for the Empire, I promise you that."

"What will you do?" he asked.

"I will trust the Force."

"If only I could trust the supernatural realm as you do," he said.

"I know how you feel about the mystical," she replied. "You don't believe in the Force, and I'm not asking you to." Her hand found his. "All I ask is that you believe in _me_. Believe that I will do what is best for Onderon. Best for us all."

Their heads leaned in, their lips parted ... and met. The moonlight shone down on them as the two secret lovers kissed.

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"Next stop," Juno Eclipse announced. "Dxun!"

Starkiller leaned back in his chair, anxiously. Wedge fiddled with the controls, while Kota swigged back some Correllian spice rum.

"Remind me _why_ we're going to Onderon's Moon instead of straight to Onderon?" Starkiller griped.

"Calm yourself, boy," Kota replied. "You've gotta cut that impatient streak out. According to Maris' data, there's a surge of Imperial activity going on on this moon. Especially near the tomb of Freedon Nadd. We're just sending you in to scout it out - before we throw ourselves into anything nasty. Besides, there's some stuff you need to see here."

"Preparing the landing sequence," Juno replied. Her voice, however, seemed softer. Tired. She coughed several times.

"You alright, Juno?" Starkiller asked.

"I'm fine. Just a cold, I think. Probably picked it up from that Hutt slug Raynor." She coughed again, and Starkiller couldn't help but notice that she was rubbing her chest in the same spot the Dark Apprentice cut her with his vibroblade.

The _Rogue Shadow _descended through the forest canopy of Dxun, and Starkiller leaped out onto the jungle below. He had changed into jungle-gear, similar to what he had worn on Felucia. Kota tossed him a comlink. "I'll be in touch, kid!"

And the Rogue Shadow ascended again before it could be picked up by Imperial scanners. Starkiller unsheathed his lighstabers as he entered the jungle.

His comlink _beeped _as Kota's voice came through. "_Oh, I should mention - careful of the cannoks!_"

"Careful of the -wha?" Starkiller leaped out of the way as two cannoks charged him. Spinning his dual-sabers, Starkiller put the two creatures down as he moved further through the jungle. He fought his way through several of the beasts, before he found what appeared to be the ruins of a compound.

He spoke into his comlink. "Kota - what are these ruins?"

"_Looks like you've reached the Mandalorian base._"

"Mandalorian?" 

"_Yeah. Dxun was the beginning of the Mandalorian Wars. Many Jedi were lost here. The Mandalorians nearly conquered the galaxy - until they were turned aside by the Jedi Revan."_

"And then Revan betrayed the Jedi. Okay. And where is this tomb, General?"

"_A little further to the north. Be on your guard - I'm sensing a surge of Dark Side energy there."_

Starkiller nodded. "Always a hitch."

"_Let me know if you need help_."

Starkiller moved further through the jungle - and heard heavy footfalls. Behind him, a zakkeg reared back on its hind legs, roaring. "What is that?!"

The zakkeg charged at him. Starkiller Force Pushed - and found that the zakkeg was impervious. He leaped up, over the top of the beast. The creature roared, reversed itself, and charged again. Starkiller brought one of his blades down - slicing a tusk off the creature.

The zakkeg roared again and charged. Starkiller was thrown off his feet, and his weapons rolled away. The zakkeg pinned him down and opened its mouth - revealing several rows of sharp fangs. Fangs that went right for Starkiller's throat.

Starkiller summoned his lightsaber, activating the blade right through the zakkeg's open mouth. The tip of the blade burned through the back of its head, and the zakkeg keeled over, dead. Starkiller pulled his legs out from underneath the body of the beast and looked up.

There, in the distance, stood a dark menacing structure. "That must be the tomb." He spoke into his comlink. "General, I think I'm there."

"_Good work, kid. Our intel reports that Moff Reeden has been spending a lot of time inside these past weeks. We need to find out what exactly he's up to."_

Starkiller hid behind several brushes as an Imperial shuttle descended. It bore the insignia of the Moffs. "Well, General, I think now we're going to find out."

Starkiller watched as the shuttle landed atop a nearby landing pad that had been recently built by the Empire. He watched as Moff Reeden exited the shuttle and was met by several Imperial Shadowguards. _Great_.

The Shadowguards led Reeden straight to the entrance of Freedon Nadd's Tomb. Using the Force, they opened the grand doors, and led the Moff in.

Making sure that the coast was clear, Starkiller darted up to the entrance of the Tomb. There were no door-handles on the mammoth doors. _Only a Force-user can get in_, he thought. He waved his hand, and the door of the Tomb creaked open. Starkiller made sure his weapons were secure at his hips, and ventured into the darkness.

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Moff Reeden entered a large sanctuary, followed by the three Shadowguards. Inside was a reflecting pool, and at the other side a Sith sarcophagus with a statue of Freedon Nadd towering over it. Inside, stood a figure with a head shrouded.

Starkiller lurked up above in the rafters, watching everything.

"You're late," Gazellia said.

"Do not lecture me, witch. Do not forget, I am the one in charge here."

"And don't _you _forget - you will not succeed in overthrowing Queen Ashti without me. Did you bring it?"

Moff Reeden produced a small holovid. Gazellia took it in her thin fingers. She pressed a button, and a holo-recording of Queen Ashti kissing Korr Sunka played out before their eyes.

Gazellia grinned. "This video will be all the evidence we need. Once we frame Korr Sunka for the assassination of an Imperial official, we make this video public. Who would possibly believe his lover - Queen Ashti - was not in on the murder with him? The Emperor will order both their executions, and I shall inherit the throne. Onderon will fall under the Emperor's sway. Indefinitely."

Moff Reeden chuckled. "And which Imperial official are we going to murder to frame Korr Sunka?"

Gazellia smirked. "Who indeed?"

_ Thunk._

Moff Reeden gasped as the blade of a dagger punctured his stomach. He grabbed at Gazellia's prayer shawl, gasping for air. He looked into her twisted, yellow eyes. "B-but ... I did ... everything ... you said!"

She sighed. "Yes, but unfortunately, you are more useful to me in death than you ever were in your miserable life."

She withdrew the dagger from his stomach, and he crumpled to the floor at her feet. Dead. She turned to the Shadowguards. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to plant the Moff's body back in his quarters. And this dagger in Korr Sunka's bedroom."

She utilized the Force to suspend Moff Reeden's corpse in the air as she made her way for the door. She stopped and looked at the Shadowguards. "Oh, and we also happen to have an intruder. He's witnessed everything. Make sure he doesn't leave alive." Gazellia exited with the body of the Moff as the Shadowgaurds spread out.

Starkiller's eyes widened as one of the Shadowguards used the Force to blow the rafter he was perched on to smithereens. Starkiller landed, igniting his two blue lightsabers. The three Shadowguards spread out, their Force-pikes sprouting small, red lightsaber blades at the tip.


	6. Chapter 6: The Second Sister

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Star Wars. This is merely a fanfiction.

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Starkiller's lighsabers spun in a never-ending, fluid arc as the three Shadowguards flanked him. Starkiller repulsed them, creating a gap, giving himself some more wiggle room.

The Shadowguards combined their Force energy into one simultaneous attack. Starkiller was blasted into the reflecting pool in the center. He stood up, drenching wet. With a wave of his hand, he sent a torch flying at one of the guards. The torch made contact, and the Shadowguard's armor erupted into flames. The flaming Shadowguard launched himself into the reflecting pool, sending steam erupting to the ceiling.

Starkiller rolled out of the reflecting pool - just in time to block the shimmering red blades of the other two Force Users. The two Shadowguards flanking him and they dueled around the pool towards the sarcophagus of ancient Sith Lord, Freedon Nadd.

One of the Shadowguards used the Force to wrench open the Sith Lord's casket, revealing the dry corpse within. The Shadowguard grabbed Starkiller by the head, bashing him into the open edges of the coffin. Starkiller grappled with him, flipping him into the casket, before slamming the lid shut and blasting the coffin across the room. It smashed into pieces on the other side, cracking the Shadowguards skull through his helmet.

The final Shadowguard arced his saber-pike mockingly, urging Starkiller forward. Starkiller lunged, and the Shadowguard leaped over him. The Shadowguard landed in the reflecting pool, before using the Force to levitate a blob of water. Smashing his fist forward, the Shadowguard engulfed Starkiller's head in the blob of water.

Starkiller sank to his knees, his head engulfed. He was drowning. The Shadowguard cackled.

But to his surprise, Starkiller actually grinned.

Too late did the Shadowguard realize the danger. Starkiller deactivated his lightsabers and, struggling to see through the water blob covering his head, raised his fingertips.

_ ZAAAAP!_

The Shadowguard braced for the coming Force Lightning ... but he was not the target. He looked down as electricity coursed down through the _reflecting pool_, effectively turning it into one giant electrical deathtrap.

A deathtrap the Shadowguard had stepped right into. There was a loud _ZAAAAP _as the Shadowguard was shocked into a smoking heap. The blob of water covering Starkiller's head splashed to the ground.

The Jedi clone staggered back to his feet, and headed for the exit.

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Starkiller stepped out into the lush green foliage of Dxun and spoke into his comlink. "Kota. Kota!"

"_You there boy?_"

"Moff Reeden's dead. Something big's about to happen on Onderon, General."

"_Dead? You do 'im in boy?_"

"_I _had nothing to do with it. Some old lady ... apparently one of Queen Ashti's advisors ... she's going to frame the queen and her boyfriend and try to take the throne for herself."

"_Bold move. But even if she succeeded ... I don't think the Emperor would just let her have the throne. I mean, killing one of his Moffs doesn't put you too high on his friends list._"

"We need to get to Onderon. Send Juno my coordinates."

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The _Rogue Shadow _spun in an arc in space, heading back for Dxun. Kota stood in the cockpit behind Juno, arms folded.

"This is not adding up," Juno began. "Why murder a Moff? This ... woman ... whoever she is ... doesn't she realize that if she's caught, what the Empire will do to her?"

"There's more to this than meets the eye," Kota answered. "She may not be acting alone. After all, the Empire is filled with _scores_ of ambitious men who would kill to become a Moff. One Imperial killing off another for their position is more common than you would think. It is the way of the Sith, after all."

Juno nodded. "Makes sense. Our mission just got more complicated."

"Well, Captain Eclipse, if you can't _handle _it ..." He paused, waiting for a sarcastic comment from Juno for his barb. None came.

"You alright, kid?" he asked her.

No response from Juno. The _Rogue Shadow_ began listing to the side - off course.

"Juno!"

Kota swung the captain's ship around. Juno was breathing, but her eyes were closed, her mouth slack, a thin line of red blood trailing down her mouth. Kota shook her. "Juno!"

He glanced out the cockpit. They were going to crash into the forests of Dxun!

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Starkiller meditated in silence in the jungle, waiting for extraction. That's when he felt the disturbance.

"JUNO!"

Something had happened to her. But what?

He pulled out his comlink. "Kota! Come in! Kota!"

Static.

Starkiller stood up, breathlessly. He reached out, sensing for their position.

So engaged in finding the location of the _Rogue Shadow _in space, that he never sensed the cloaked figure creep up behind him and place a thin cloth over his face.

Starkiller was unconscious in less than a second.

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Queen Vashti sat on her throne room as several aides scrabbled out legislation on their holopads. Beast Lord Korr Sunka stood next to her, arms folded, while Pooja Naberrie sat on a small cushion slightly below the throne.

"I'm surprised Moff Reeden isn't here," Ashti said with genuine surprise. "I mean, I'm foregoing the execution of those imprisoned Beast Riders." She glanced up at Korr Sunka, who allowed a small smile.

"Maybe he did us all a favor and dropped dead," Pooja joked.

"All too ironic words!" Gazellia appeared in the doorway, distraught. A squad of Imperial stormtroopers appeared behind her.

Ashti stood up. "Gazellia ... what's going on?"

"What indeed?" she asked. "Moff Reeden was found dead this morning in his bed chambers. The murder weapon - found in the bedroom of none other than Korr Sunka - Lord of the Beast Riders!"

Ashti and Pooja gasped, and Korr Sunka straightened to his full height. "That is outrageous!"

"The law is very clear, Your Highness," Gazellia said. "Korr Sunka must be taken into custody ... the penalty is death."

"I'm aware of the law," Ashti said. "But ... there's no way ..."

Pooja rose to the defense. "Actually, I'm quite familiar with the law as well. Korr Sunka gets a trial, if I'm not mistaken!"

"Indeed he shall have one," said Gazellia. "As shall you, I'm afraid to say, Your Highness."

"Me?" Queen Ashti said. "Gazellia ... what you're suggesting ..."

"Onderon's laws are very clear. We have enough circumstantial evidence I think," Gazellia replied. She pulled out a small holocron before the entire throne room to see. The holocron showcased the kiss between Queen Ashti and Korr Sunka just the day before.

Silence permeated the chambers. "As you can see, the two of them are ... involved. Can anyone _seriously _believe that Korr Sunka didn't have an accomplice?"

"It is very suspicious," one diplomat said.

Korr Sunka balled his gauntleted hands into fists. "I will allow myself to be taken into custody. But you will not arrest the Queen!"

"You have no say in this matter, I'm afraid," Gazellia said. "As Royal Advisor, I have no choice but to order you both taken into custody." Her voice dripped with fake sorrow. She motioned and the stormtroopers moved, arresting both the Queen and her Beast Lord. As the two were led out of the chambers, Gazellia stepped forward.

"The law furthermore states that in times the Queen is unable to govern, the Royal Advisor must step in. I do not relish having to take on the burden of the throne, but the law is the law." Gazellia sat down upon the throne, her fingers gripping the armrests like talons.

Pooja watched her, eyes narrowed.

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Starkiller woke with a start. "Juno!" He bolted upright. He had been lying on a stone bed. He looked around. Stone walls. A fire roaring the corner. Where was he?

He heard shuffling. He saw a hooded figure walking towards him. Now he remembered. A hooden figure had attacked him from behind and drugged him.

"Lie down, you'll hurt yourself," said the hooded figure and Starkiller was shocked to hear a woman's voice.

"You attacked me!"

"I saved you!"

"Drugging someone saves them?!"

"From a certain point of view!"

Starkiller groaned. "Okay then. Who are you, and why did you feel it was necessary to ... 'save' ... me."

The figure threw back its hood to reveal an old woman. In fact, she looked remarkably like that Gazellia woman back in the Sith Tomb. "I saved you from running off to face my sister unprepared and facing gruesome death!"

Starkiller's eye twitched. "S-sister?" He rubbed his eyes. "Where's Juno!"

"Your friends are in no immediate danger. They crash landed a few miles away. Their ship is banged up, but those on board are skilled indeed."

"I have to go to them!"

"Not yet! First, I would have know what you are up against."

The old woman set down a pale of water, which she began heating over a fire. She slowly stirred it. "My name is Zarbina. That murderess in the tomb ... was once my sister."

Starkiller sat up. "What's she planning? Is she working with the Empire?"

"No. Her master has no love for the Empire."

"So then she's not working alone?"

Zarbina shook her head. "Not in the least."

"Who is her master? Please don't let it be the spirit of Naga Sadow. I head all about what went down with Exar Kun thousands of years ago."

At this, Zarbina actually laughed. "No, no. No dead Sith Lord's ghost this time. Her new master is much more fearsome anyway." Zarbina set down a bowl and ladled some gooey soup into it. "Decades ago, Gazellia and I were born to one of the Witch clans of Dathomir. We learned all about the Craft - what you call the Force. We thought ourselves the greatest sorceresses alive, but we were never satisfied. We wanted to leave, to grow our powers elsewhere. Our talents were wasted there. But then Gazellia's master came."

"What happened?"

"He offered us a way off planet. The other witches claimed he was demon, sent to test us. If anyone left with him, they were deemed heretics. But Gazellia and I ... we jumped at the chance. We left with him, and he showed us the true depths of our powers. That power we attributed to the Spirits - actually came from _us_. The Force. And it served _us_, a slave to _our _wills. We never felt such exhilaration. We became his students."

"But it didn't last," Starkiller realized.

"Indeed. At the end of our training, he took us to a remote planet. And there, we would face our final test. Gazellia and I were forced to duel against each other. It was long and brutal, but I eventually emerged victorious. And The Master gave the order. I was to finish her. As I stood there, seething with the energies of the Dark Side, I looked into her eyes and no longer saw the proud, cruel woman she had grown into. I saw the little girl I was raised with. I could not kill my sister. The Master was outraged, considered it weakness. I barely escaped with my life. But where was I to go? I could not return to the Nightsisters, for I was a heretic. I became a nomad, but I kept tabs on my sister. The Master, deeming me a failure, took her as his apprentice. I finally tracked her to Onderon, and settled myself here in the forests of Dxun."

"What can you tell me about your sister's master," Starkiller asked. "You said he has no love for the Empire, but was he ever affiliated with them? With Darth Vader? What's his goal?"

Zarbina laughed. "Oh, he's not affiliated with them. Well, at least not with Vader. He told us nothing of his past, except that he has a seething desire for revenge. Revenge for what, he did not tell us. He hates the Empire and wishes to see it fall. That is, I think, his main goal."

"Okay. But why would he not join with the Rebel Alliance? Help them?"

"Why would he need to? He operates behind the shadows, manipulating events. He has great financial assets coming to him - mainly from traitorous Imperials themselves. And he's got his own militia. Made up primarily of the scattered Mandalorian clans. But a couple high-ups in the Trade Federation have lent him a few squads of battle droids."

Just great.

Starkiller leaned forward. "And you couldn't have told me any of this without sneaking up on me and rendering me unconscious?"

"I had to assess if you were a threat," Zarbina replied, shrugging. "A guy walks into a dead Sith Lord's tomb, easily dispatches three Shadowguards ... I wanna know if he's on the right side or not."

"Good point."

"Now, about your friends ... I may have some spare ship parts here. You wouldn't believe the amount of wreckages in the Dxun jungle."

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Juno awoke in the medbay of the _Rogue Shadow. _What had happened? She was flying towards the extraction point when she just ... faded. Did she lose consciousness?

She slowly sat up, and her vision swam. Proxy was standing over her. "Oh, Captain Eclipse, it is so invigorating to see you up and about again!"

"Proxy? Ugh, what happened?"

"You seemed to have a malfunction whilst piloting. Thankfully, General Kota was there to grab hold of the controls to avoid a deadly crash."

"So the ship is okay?"

"I said _deadly _crash, Captain. We did, in fact, hit a tree. General Kota had been nipping on the Tarisian ale shortly before your glitch occured."

She heard footsteps. "Ah, good! You're finally up!" Kota leaned in the doorway.

"How bad is the ship?" Juno asked.

"Couple scratches and bangs. Gotta replace a few parts here and there. Antilles is outside now, working on it."

"What happened to me?" she breathed.

Kota shrugged. "Beats me. One minute you're fine, and the next, your head is hanging back and blood is running out of your mouth."

"Blood?"

"Juno, be honest. Have you been feeling alright recently?"

"Well I ... truthfully General, no I haven't."

Kota sat down across from her. "Tell me. What's been going on?"

"I don't know! Sometimes I feel like I'm going to pass out! Once in a while, I'll find blood trailing down my mouth."

"When did this start?"

"After we left Dantooine!"

Kota nodded. "When we get the chance, I'll give you medical leave from the Alliance. Get you to a doctor."

"No, Kota! I don't want medical leave! Piloting ships, fighting the Empire - this is what I _live _for! I'll see a doctor, but please ... don't make me go on medical leave! Don't take me away from Starkiller!"

"Fine. But Starkiller will want to be appraised of the situation, given your ... relationship."

"I'll tell him."

Kota stood up. "That's if we ever find the blasted kid! I haven't been able to reach him since we crashed! I've been trying to send messages to him telepathically, but I don't know if his receiver's working." He grinned. "Alright, bad joke. Let me go check on Antilles. Come on, Proxy, let's give Captain Eclipse some privacy."

Proxy nodded. "Feel better, Captain." The two exited, leaving Juno alone.

Truth be told, Juno was extremely frightened. She'd never blacked out before. But recently, she had been feeling sick. Nausea. Fatigue. Loss of energy and appetite. What was coming over her?

She stood up and went over to the refresher, splashing some cold water all over her face. Toweling off, she turned and looked into a mirror. That's when she noticed a slight discoloration under her shirt. She carefully removed her over-shirt, leaving herself in a tank top, exposing the top of her collarbone.

She gasped, and backed up in horror.

The scar - the scar left from the Dark Apprentice's vibroblade - was not healing. It had turned a deep purple, with pinkish veins sprouting out from it. It pulsated too, as though the scar tissue were growing, living.

"Juno! One more thing!"

She could hear Kota returning back to the medical room. She quickly threw her overshirt on, covering the disfiguring scar on her chest.

No need to worry anyone just yet, right?

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"You do not need to escort me all this way," Pooja remarked as two Imperial stormtroopers led her down the prison hall of Onderon's infamous Sky Turret. "In fact, I would like some privacy!"

The two stormtroopers shrugged. "The Queen's cell will be straight down that way. She's in solitary confinement."

Pooja nodded as the two stormtroopers returned to their post. She broke into a run, finally reaching Queen Ashti's cell. Ashti sat forlornly on a metal cot as a purple laser wall kept her imprisoned. She looked up when she heard footsteps.

"Pooja!"

She raced to the edge of the cell, and sank to her knees in tears.

"It's okay," Pooja was saying. "I'm going to take this issue to the Senate. I _will _get you out of this!"

"I don't doubt that. But Pooja ..." Ashti was crying.

"You've been through a lot," Pooja replied. "Getting implicated in the murder of a Moff. Your secret lover being the chief suspect."

"We'll get the death penalty ... oh why?" The tears came harder.

"I've heard the whispers," Pooja soothed. "A lot of people - myself included - believe Gazellia was in on it."

"She would never -."

Pooja gave her an _are-you-serious _look.

"Okay, she might ..." Ashti admitted.

Pooja looked her deadpan in the eyes. "I'll get your name cleared. And Korr Sunka's too. I'll get you out of this, Ahsti, I swear by the Force I will. Please, stop crying."

"I can't. It's ... oh, why?"

"What is it?" Pooja asked. "What's the matter?

"It's Korr Sunka."

"What? What about him?"

Asthi wiped her eyes. "They let us talk. For five minutes. He's got this ridiculous plan. Oh, he can't go through with it!"

"What plan?" Pooja pressed. "Is he planning a breakout?"

"If only!" Ashti lowered her voice to a whisper. "He told me ... he's going to confess to the murder! Confess to the whole thing and tell everyone I had nothing to do with it! And you know what that means!"

Pooja's mouth hung slack as she herself sank to her knees. "The law requires the death penalty."

And not even proud Pooja could stop the tears from flowing.


End file.
